Wondrous World of Fang
by turtlelover0511
Summary: Yo. Fang here. You're presumably reading this to, oh what's that phrase, get inside my head. Get a glimpse into the wondrous world of Fang. So, without further ado, let's go back to that day when Max's first book begins… The Angel Experiment in Fang's POV DISCONTINUED
1. Darn that Super Hearing

**Ok, so I'm new on here, but I wanted to see what kind of reaction this would get. I absolutely love reading the Maximum Ride series books from Fangs POV, therefore this is what I'm going to try to do.**

**Angel talking to Fang in his mind: **_**Angel **_**Fang thinking to himself: **_Fang_

**So, please R&R…especially review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

Yo. Fang here. I'm assuming Max has told you all about our life, so I'm not going to go into all these details about us being all 2% bird, 98% human. If you didn't know that, well, why the heck are you reading this?

Anyways, you're presumably reading this to, oh what's that phrase, get inside my head. Get a glimpse into the wondrous world of Fang. So, without further ado, let's go back to that day when Max's first book begins…

As usual, I was up very early. Call me paranoid, but I just can't sleep for long periods of time. I get this creepy feeling that someone is going to whisk me away from my family, the Flock. After glancing at my clock, I saw that it is 4:54.

_Max probably isn't up yet. Good._ That girl, as beautiful as she can be, is not a morning person. Wake her up too early and you should learn to sleep with both eyes open…

Glancing in Nudge's and Angel's room, I noticed that Nudge was completely tangled in her covers. Angel was invisible; her curtain hid her from view. However, I could faintly hear her breathing, assuring me that they both were safe and sound.

Gazzy's and Iggy's room was next since it was right next to the girls' room. Yeah, I know, it probably wasn't the best room arrangements. Nudge was always yelling at Gazzy and Iggy for blowing up her favorite sweater or designer jeans. This problem was not helped by the two pyromaniacs sharing a room; however, it was the best we could come up with. I seriously did not want to share with Gazzy. Let's just say that he could not always control his…bodily functions during the night. It was bad enough being in the same room with him at the lab. As for sharing with Iggy, well, I could live with that, other than the constant teasing I would receive for every single waking hour of every day. Trust me, the current rooming partners were the safest we could get, even if it did mean sacrificing Nudge's clothing every once in a while.

Being careful to avoid their "projects" placed haphazardly around the room, I walked in as quietly as I could…which ended up not being quiet enough. Iggy bolted upright as he heard my muffled footsteps approaching. Another reason why sharing a room would not work; I couldn't sneak out of the house every morning like I currently do.

"Darn that super hearing," I muttered to myself. Usually, I could get away with sneaking into his room. Iggy must have been having a nightmare about the School; that always causes light sleeping.

"Fang… is that you?" Iggy groggily asked.

"Yeah," I replied with my usual one word answer.

"Ok….Anyone else up?" _Oh, most definitely. It's just, you know, five in the morning. What? You don't usually get up this early? Sucks to be you. This is the best time of the day!_

"Nope." I impassionedly replied. Obviously, if I said everything I thought, the Flock would most likely die of shock. I am not a man of many words.

"Mkay. I'll just get…a little more...sleep before…Max comes in…." he muttered as he passed out on his bed. _Since when does Max have to wake him up?_ I thought about asking him this, but he was already completely zonked. _Only Iggy could fall asleep that quickly._

**So, what does everyone think? Chapters will get longer, I promise. I will try to update soon, but I'd like at least one review before I do. One teensy tiny little review! Please? *puppy dog eyes* You know you want to!**

**~Ray**


	2. Morning Flight

**Yay! Second chapter up! And I'm dedicating this chapter to Yuki Kuromori, my first reviewer! Please check out my poll! Also, sorry about how boring these chapters are. The story doesn't start picking up until the 4****th**** or 5****th**** chapter…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. I do however own Fang's thoughts, so please don't steal them!**

Now onto Max's room. When I go into her room, she was muttering and tossing in her bed. Uh oh. With our history at the School *shudders* we aren't loud sleepers. That means she was having a seriously bad nightmare.

_Not again._ Yep, you heard me right. Some mornings I found Max fitfully sleeping from one bad dream or another. Of course, you can't blame her; with the things we've gone through, nightmares are the least of our problems.

I rushed over to her. Gently rubbing in between her wings, I muttered sweet nothings in her ear. As she became more and more restless, I quickly left her room, knowing that she would soon wake up. That's a peculiar thing about Max; she hates to be seen helpless.

As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I heard Max bolt upright, breathing heavily. Consoling myself that she would be alright, I walked outdoors into the crisp morning air. Running to the edge of the cliff our house is built on, I wondered if I had enough time for a quick morning flight.

_I bet I do. Max won't expect me for a little while._

Unfurling my wings as I leapt off the cliff, the wind caught me. A sudden jolt heightened my senses. Soaring through the frigid air, I lost all my worries in the wind.

In case some of you haven't read Max's books, my wings are dark, very dark. Some would say they are black, but sometimes, if the sun catches them just right, they are dark purple. At least, that's what Angel has told me Max thinks. Apparently Max thinks about my wings A LOT. My wings definitely don't compare with hers, though. Speckled brown and white, they look absolutely stunning! Just don't tell her that…I don't think she would appreciate it. That's not exactly the remark a brotherly figure should make…*sigh*

Anyways, I was about 3,000 feet in the air, still below all the clouds. You wouldn't believe how cool it looked from up there. I dipped down to see if I could spot anyone close to our house. With my super eyesight, I saw nothing but trees and mountains surrounding our house. Good. We're not exactly the type of people that love house guests, considering our visitors would most likely be people from the School coming to retrieve their so-called lost experiments.

Nestled between mountains provided us with a decent amount of privacy. The only people who ventured out here were mountain climbers who were easily avoided. Our house was epic…it was E-shaped and on the side of a mountain. Looking out of certain windows, you felt like you were floating on air!

Glancing at the sun, I noticed that it was almost completely risen. That meant that the flock would soon be waking up, and I needed to get down there. If Max knew that I took these early morning flights, she would get worried about me. Yeah, I know that safety is a huge thing for us, but I can take care of myself. It got a little unnerving to have everyone knowing what you're doing every second of the day. Of course Angel did, but we couldn't help that.

_**Fang, Max is up. She's thinking about what we're having for breakfast, so you'd better come back.**_

_K. Thanks Angel._

Well, it was time to face another day…maybe that one would be better than the others…

**Sorry to be so mean, but I want at least 5 reviews before I update. So Review!**


	3. I'm Not a Mind Reader!

**Ok, I'm going to go ahead and upload this chapter because I'm nice. 4 reviews people…is that the best you can do? I mean, really! I've had 105 hits in the last 3 days and only 4 reviews…I don't care what kind of reviews they are! Tell me if you love it! Tell me if you hate it! Tell me if I need to completely lose this ridiculous idea of writing in Fang's POV because I obviously have no talent what so ever in the writing area! JUST LET ME KNOW! REVIEW OR YOU WILL NEVER SEE ANOTHER CHAPTER IN THIS STORY! And the 4****th**** chapter is the most exciting one I've written so far!**

**Thank you much to those who have reviewed! Yuki Kuromori, Forrest, , and Jedi Knight Siri Tachi, you all get a HUGE THANK YOU!**

**Ok, I'm done ranting. Next chapter up! A little bit of Fax in here, near the end. READ AND REVIEW! PLEASE! I'm BEGGING YOU! *gives everyone reading HUGE puppy dog eyes***

Swooping low over our house, I closed my wings and freefell for a second, landing with a heavy thud in my room.

Quickly checking to make sure no one heard my landing, I muttered, "Darn, I need to work on that." I had not quite perfected my flying as much as I wanted. While flying, I noticed feathers that I don't use…however I don't know how to use them. "Oh well. I'll get to that later."

As I walked down the hallway, I heard Max in the kitchen talking to Gazzy. "What's for breakfast?" Gazzy asked Max.

I almost snorted at her answer. "Um, it's a surprise." Max obviously had no idea what was for breakfast.

However, Gazzy, not realizing that Max had no clue what they were eating, replied, "I'll pour juice."

As I entered the kitchen, Iggy was falling onto the couch. "Hey, Ig, rise and shine," Max said.

"Bite me," Iggy mumbled sleepily. Obviously the extra sleep I allowed him had not been enough.

"Fine. Miss breakfast," Max retorted. This was a pretty stupid remark, considering Iggy was the only one that could cook. Word of advice; if you want to live, do NOT let Max cook. She can destroy almost anything, even cereal! How does one mess up cereal, you ask? I honestly don't know…Max does though!

As she turned to peer desperately into the fridge, I snuck up on her. She spun around as soon as I was in place, directly behind her. "Will you quit that?" she yelled at me.

"Quit what? Breathing?" I replied. Just because she yells at me doesn't mean I lose my calm façade.

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "You know what."

I do? No, I don't. However, she was already ordering me to set the table while she went to wake the other girls. I set out dishes for six people. _The female mind is just too strange for me to understand. If I ask her something, the correct reply is not, 'You know what.' She really should explain it to me. I'm not a mind reader!_

_**But I am!**_

"_Yes, Angel, I know you are._

_***giggle* Has Iggy finished breakfast?**_

_Almost…and get out of my head!_

_**Heehee, but your thoughts are so interesting!**_

*sigh* I really do love Angel, just sometimes her…gift…is not amusing. My mental conversation with myself ended as I almost collided with Iggy, who was taking the enormous helping of eggs off the stove.

"Watch it, Ig." Oops.

"Wish I could, dude," Iggy replied, smirking. "Why weren't you watching where you were going? Thinking too much about Max?"

"No," I replied, slightly flustered.

"Max?" Gazzy said. "Why would Fang be thinking about Max?"

"Well, Gazzy, when you get older, you start becoming attracted to the opposite sex..." Iggy began.

"Ok, Ig, I think that's enough!" I quickly interrupted, turning slightly red.

"Fang, you're turning red…" Gazzy replied, startled.

"HA! I knew it! So Fang, is Max hot?"

…I really didn't want to answer this…

_**Aww Fang! You know you do! You like Max!**_

_Yes, Angel, I know I do, but I don't want anyone to know…_

_**Why not? **_

_Because she doesn't like me back._

_**How do you know that?**_

_Well…I don't. Angel? Have you heard her thinking anything? Angel?_

Of course, that was when Angel decided to leave me.

"So Fang, what is it? Is Max hot or not?"

Lucky for me, Nudge, Angel, and Max entered the kitchen. Yes! That meant I didn't have to answer him!

"We're not done talking about this Mister," Iggy mumbled as he dumps eggs on my plate.

Great. Just great.

**It's not that hard! Press the button, say "like" or "hate" and you get a new chapter! NO REVIEWS = NO UPDATES BY ME! ~Ray **


	4. A Tisket, A Tasket

Hey y'all! Ok, new chapter up! Thanks to everyone for reviewing, and sorry for taking so long to upload this chapter! I had VBS at my Church this week, and I've been volunteering for it for the last 6 years! By the time I got home, I was soooo tired! haha so enjoy this chapter and REVIEW!

**6151****: Thanks for the review! And yes I will add Fax in this chapter. If you check back to my previous chapter, I edited it after you reviewed. (I added a little Fax for you at the end!) ****explosions boomboom D****: Thanks for reviewing! I was starting to get discouraged that no one liked this story! haha yeah you can thank 6515 (previous reviewer) for that little part! Her (or his) review inspired me to rewrite the end and add a little more fax. **

**Yuki Kuromori: ****Thanks so much! Bonus points to you for reviewing for all 3 chapters! **

As we stuffed our faces with Iggy's delicious eggs, Angel firmly suggested that we pick strawberries. "They're ripe now," she stated. _**And you can have some time with Max!**_

_Thanks Angel, but I really don't want to pick strawberries._

"Okay, Angel, I'll go with you," Gazzy said. That guy is very protective of Angel; the only place he lets her go alone is the bathroom!

_**That's not true, Fang!**_

_I know it's not…it's exaggeration, Angel. And get out of my head!_

Just then, Gazzy decides to give us a sneak peek at his…unusual gift.

"Oh Jeez, Gazzy!"

"Gas….mask!"

"I'm done," I quickly said; I was still hungry but the smell was starting to get to me. I would just eat later…

"Sorry," Gazzy automatically said, however the smell does not seem to affect him as he continued to finish his breakfast.

Nudge decided to speak up just then. "Yeah, Angel. I think the fresh air would do us all good. I'll go too!" Wow…that was actually a pretty short statement coming from Nudge. I swear she could talk anyone to death.

"We'll all go." Max matter-of-factly stated.

Great…just great…that's exactly what I wanted to do today; pick strawberries…NOT! I have an image to uphold, and picking strawberries is not helping me uphold it. However, I'm Fang. This means that I take life as it comes at me and do not complain.

So, here I am with a basket-yes a basket-walking to field of wild strawberries. We only have two buckets and Max and Iggy beat me to them. Iggy, snickering at my basket, had started tauntingly singing, "A tisket, a tasket, a green and yellow basket! I took a letter to my love, and on the way I dropped it!" Perfect. Next Iggy would be throwing little flowers in the air and prancing around me and Max.

_**Aww! He's talking about Max! I should tell her that Iggy thinks you two should get together!**_

I nearly choked as she said this. _Angel! You better not say ANYTHING! You swore to it! _You see, back when I had started feeling…different about Max, Angel had discovered her mind reading. Naturally she thought it was great fun to tell the Flock about a specific unknowing Flock member's thoughts. Usually mine because I don't voice my opinions. I couldn't have Max knowing about these feelings, so I promised her that I would let her have a pet in the future…she can't resist animals! I knew it was going to come back and bite me, but I couldn't let Max know!

_***Huff* I know…but it's no fun hearing your thoughts if I can't tell anyone about them!**_

_Angel…not a word!_

_**Fine.**_

Just then, I heard a voice sounding like Iggy's say, "Yeah, that'll be the day, when Max makes a cake! I'll make it, Angel."

What? Oh, it was just Gazzy. Max didn't seem to realize this, though.

"Oh, thank you! Okay, I'm not a fabulous cook. But I can still kick your butt, and don't you forget it!" she yelled at Iggy.

By this time, all most everyone was laughing…even I was grinning. It was very funny when Gazzy mimicked someone to upset Max; not so much when he did it to cause a fight between me and Iggy. Plus, Max looked hot when she got angry.

_**That's not very nice Fang. Does this mean you purposely annoy Max just to make her look hot?**_

Darn. She figured me out. _Of course not Angel…_

_**I can read your mind, Fang. You can't lie to me.**_

Creepy.

"Was that you?" she asks Gazzy. He shrugged, grinning at his success.

This happy mood, however, could not last long. Angel, standing next to Max, froze and screamed. Startled, Max looked down at her. However, I was already scanning the area for a threat that seemed remotely frightening. I didn't have to look for long; within seconds a horde of men with alarming similarities to wolves dropped out of the sky.

Well crap. "Could this day just get any better?"

**That was sarcasm there at the end, in case you didn't get it. Review? PLEASE!**


	5. Get Up, You Fool!

**Ok, new chapter up! Sorry for taking so long!**

**XXForrestStarXX: Thanks for the review! Yeah, Fang should feel bad. However, sadly, his hormones are overpowering his logical thinking abilities! hahaha!**

**CrazyLittleMilkshakeMonster: Aww thank you soo much! It's great to know that people enjoy my writing! And I absolutely love your username! It's very original!**

**Peaceloveandsmiles: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy this story! And I shall continue!**

**Yuki Kuromori: Yes! Another great review from an awesome reviewer! And darn for that writer's block! Hopefully, it will end soon!**

**Also thanks to everyone who added this story to favorites/subscriptions: mxcrunnergirl116, CrazyLittleMilkshakeMonster, Xandra I. Guess, peaceloveandsmiles, and KatREADS! **

**Disclaimer: I own my Maximum Ride story, and that's the closest I'm gonna get to the real thing! (Meaning-I don't own MR!)**

_How did they find us? _was the first thought that rushed through my head. Then, I chided myself for thinking that. In a fight, concentration is mandatory, especially if you're up against Erasers.

Max, taking no time to think, launched herself at the nearest Eraser's chest. Following her lead, I jumped up and gave the nearest Eraser a roundhouse kick followed by a punch to the nose. However, he was able to get a kick to my stomach, which made me fall to the ground, winded.

_Get up, you fool! GET UP! MAX NEEDS YOU!_ I mentally yelled to myself, gulping in air. As I dizzily stood, another Eraser launched himself at me. However, this time I was ready.

As I blocked his kick, I delivered a hand jab to his gut, causing him to fall over in pain. "Sucks to be you!" I yelled at him as I took on another Eraser. Kicking at the Eraser's neck is the easiest way to take them down. _Punch, jab, block, kick…punch, jab, block, kick_. Getting into the familiar rhythm of fighting, it reminds me of sparring Max. _This is not sparring…it's the real deal. _I reminded myself, killing another Eraser with a quick jab to the spine. As I fought, I glanced out of the side of my eye to see how the Flock was holding up.

Gazzy, I noticed, was unconscious, lying face down on the ground. Poor boy. Gazzy is a better fighter than the average man, but he still hadn't quite mastered all the tricks of the trade yet. As I fought, I slowly made my way towards him. Lying on the ground in the middle of a fight is definitely not the safest place to be!

Iggy was still standing but didn't look like he would be for long. However, if he kept up the tirade of explosions going off around him, he would be good. No Eraser was able to go within ten feet of him. Of course, bombs do have a drawback…take hitting one of the Flock, for example. Being blind, Iggy has amazing hearing, but in a fight the sounds can get a little jumbled. However, we all trust Iggy, and his bombs were definitely doing more good than harm at the instance.

Nudge and Angel seemed to be doing fine; playing it safe (or as safe as you could get at the moment) by fighting back to back and delivering punches and kicks in a furious storm of rage. Reassuring myself that the two of them could kick major butt when paired, I continued my trek to rescue Gazzy.

Punching the lights out of another Eraser, I look for Max. "Where is she?" I asked, starting to panic. Without Max, I become leader…something I would never master as well as she does.

_Calm down._ I told myself. _Scout your surroundings._ Of course, I didn't take into account that scouting your surroundings in the middle of a battlefield gave the enemy the upper hand. Therefore, as soon as I turned to find Max, I was completely pummeled in a large heap of Erasers.

Trust me, anywhere is better than being at the bottom of an Eraser heap. I would rather eat slugs, be in a cage, have Max reject me…ok maybe not but still, it's a horrid place to be. Lucky for me, most of the Erasers were just lashing at each other, not having the brains to realize I was slowly making my way to the top of the pile. Of course, not all of them were completely addled and some were able to do some pretty good damage to me. Nothing I couldn't handle, though. It was Max I was worried about; where had she been earlier?

As I reached the top, I instinctively took a huge gulp of fresh air. The odor of twenty Erasers is enough to make anyone pass out! Frantically searching for the Flock, I caught a glimpse of blond hair being stuffed into a bag along with crying and screaming! _ANGEL!_ I mentally screamed.

_**Fang! HELP!**_

_Angel! Hold on! I'M COMING!_ Of course, I jinxed it. Just then, the Erasers tossed her into the back of a black Humvee. Now I can fight Erasers, but fighting a car? That's just not possible by myself. _Gather the Flock. We can chase them down. _Ok, now I had a plan; calm down, search for the Flock. But first off, where's the Flock?

Doing a quick search, I saw Gazzy and Iggy returning to consciousness. Nudge was picking herself off the ground, groaning and moving quite stiffly. Making my way to the partial-Flock, my nerves start overtaking my brain. "Is everyone ok? And where's Max?" I quickly asked.

"I'm fine," Iggy replied.

Gazzy didn't say anything, tears starting to trickle down his face. I mean, they took his sister for crying out loud! Why her? Why Angel?

"Ouch that hurts! Fang, what do you mean? Isn't Max right behind you?" Nudge questioned, a look of horror slowly forming on her face.

Dreading what has happened, I quickly turned to look at Max. She looks dead…blood spattered her face and by the looks of it her nose was broken._ No! Not Max! What did I ever do to deserve this?_

Picking my way over dead Erasers, I walked to stand by her side. _You idiot! You never told her!_ Just as I was about to break down crying, I noticed a small detail I had overlooked…she was breathing! _Oh thank God!_


	6. For Angel!

**New chapter up! Yay! Btw, I decided to change the tense of the story, so this is in past tense. I'll go back and edit the other chapters when I get the chance, but in the meantime, sorry for the confusion!**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN MAXIMUM RIDE! I do however, own my laptop…Yay!**

**Now to my lovely reviewers:**

**Fantasyfan43****: Thank you for the wonderful review, and the first one for this chapter! I'm glad you enjoy my characters! I try to make them similar to the book, but it's not easy!**

**Xanadira****: Wow…I was blown away by your amazing review! And by your sweet words! I'm so glad that love my story! It's people like you that keep me writing! Thank you soo much! Also, sorry for not updating yesterday. I got my computer taken away. No computer=no internet=an unhappy Ray. hahaha**

**XXForrestStarXX****: I'm glad I can bring out the emotional side of people! And don't worry; I plan on seeing this story through! I hate it when people just stop! If I ever stop, you have permission to slap me!**

**Yuki Kuromori****: Thanks! I really liked last chapter too! It was lots of fun to write! This one's not nearly as exciting…I hope you like it, though!**

**And also the people who added me/my story to favorites or subscribed to me! They are as follows: Xanadira, Aaw102**

The rest of the Flock rushed over to us. Slowly standing up, I said to them, "She's fine. Just unconscious." Suddenly, Max started to groan and move slightly.

"Max?" Gazzy hopefully asked.

Max moaned pitifully. Man, she must be feeling horrible if she allowed the Flock to hear her moan. She usually doesn't acknowledge pain, believing that this was a show of weakness. I know, it's a foolish idea, but I do it too so I can't say anything.

As she slowly opened her eyes, Gazzy and I peered over her, concern etched on our faces.

"I'm ok," she replied, sounding like she had just been crushed by a plane and revived. Obviously she was not ok, but we had a more significant problem on our hands. I'd get Iggy to look over her later and assess the damage. "Where's Angel?" she anxiously asked.

I looked into her eyes. They say the eyes are the doors to the soul, and Max's eyes were full of pain. Hating myself for causing her more pain, I reply, "She's gone. They took her." Max looked like she might pass out again, and I sure didn't feel any better than her. Saying the words seemed to confirm the action that had taken place…she's gone…

Keep it together Fang…for the Flock…

Max looked like she was having the same thoughts. Determined, she stood up. She was in no shape to be moving, however. Looking like she was about to fall on her butt, I shifted slightly to give her some support. "We've got to get her," she urgently replied, swaying alarmingly. "We've got to get her before they-" Here she paused, allowing our vivid imaginations to take control of her statement. The School. The tests. We can't leave Angel with that! It's torture!

"Check in guys," she startled us out of our imaginations. "Are you up for a chase?" She checked all of us out. Well, we were all standing, but apart from that, none of us looked all hunky-dory.

"Yes," Nudge said, choking back tears.

Iggy thickly replied, "I'm up." His cut lip was making it difficult to talk.

Gazzy just nodded.

Max, knowing that I would have her back no matter where she went, didn't even look at me for an answer.

For a second, it looked as if our fearless leader would burst into tears, but then she regained control. Iggy, listening for any sound, cocked his head and said the one word we were all waiting for. "There!"

Wasting no time, we all ran towards the sound of a car. Well, tried to run for that matter. After getting beat up in a fight with Erasers, you feel like you've been put in a blender and set on chop. **(A/N: I've heard that somewhere; idk if it's from another fanfic or not, but if it is, I'm SORRY!) **Next time you get chopped up in a blender, try to run; it's not pretty. It hurts like heck, and you can barely move. Therefore, our running was more like quick waddling. Not fun. At all. Especially if you're running through a forest. With trees that attack you every chance they get. Definitely not fun!

After quickly running through said forest and dodging said trees, we came to a cliff that lead straight down to a dirt road. Knowing that this was the get-away road the Erasers were bound to use, we stood, waiting for our prey to drive past. Just then, we heard the car approaching. "Well, that wasn't a long wait." As the car turned the corner, I saw it: the black Humvee the Erasers had tossed Angel into! Bingo! We got this!

Max, yelling "Let's go get her!" backed up about ten feet while we ran to get out of her way. Trust me, you do not want to get decked by Max's wings…I know this from experience. It hurts more than I would care to say.

She soared down towards the car, and the rest of us followed her lead. I was last, as usual. It was Max's job to lead; my job to make sure everyone followed her. Sometimes, mine was just as hard. "For Angel!" I whispered as I jumped off the cliff and unfurled my wings, adrenaline already pumping to rescue Angel, my little sister.

**A/N: A little brotherly love there at the end! So, review? Please!**


	7. Ari!

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR *cries in corner***

**Xana****: Once again, thank you for the lovely review! You also get bonus points for being the first to review chapter 6! Yay! haha and as to stealing Fang, I really don't think Max would be pleased…but one can always dream…**

**Yuki****: haha thanks! There really wasn't that much action though. This one should be better! And you're welcome about the paragraphs advice. It's a lot easier to read and sometimes that's all it takes for more people to read it!**

**KatREADS****: Why thank you for your very comforting review! It's nice to know that I can read personalities well and keep them the same!**

**Fangandiggyaremine****: Thanks for reviewing! I like to try to keep Fang's personality as close to the book, but sometimes I'm not entirely sure if I do it correctly. Thanks for reestablishing faith in my writing! Btw, did Iggy's doctor say he was ok? 'Cuz in this chapter, he can't afford to be brain damaged! Hahaha!**

**Now, for those of you who added me to favorites/subscribed: Yuki Kuromori, Fangandiggyaremine**

Swooping low over the ground, we flew in a tight formation toward the Humvee. Seeing a dead tree branch, I grabbed it and smashed the car's front windshield. "Let's see them try to drive with that!" Swerving, the car went almost out of control. Great…just great…it escaped my thought process that a wrecked car would not be a safe place to be, and with Angel inside it, I shouldn't take such big risks…

"Think before you act, Fang," I muttered to myself. Next to me, Iggy looked at me a little strangely. "What?" He should know by now that I sometimes talk to myself…

"Nothing," he replied, quickly tuning back into our rescue mission, which was a good thing considering what happened next. Apparently, the Eraser's didn't underestimate us. Rolling down the tinted windows, bullets started whizzing by our heads! Now, we can fight a lot of things, however even we aren't good enough to fight guns. Think, Fang think!

Oh, to heck with it! Grabbing another tree branch, I smashed the windshield again. Of course, being in a close proximity with the car made me a better target. Quickly, I flew ahead.

"Angel! We're here! We're coming for you!" Max screamed. That's not going to do any good! If she was conscious, she could hear us in our heads! Obviously Max didn't think of this in our current state.

Looking down the road, I noticed a clearing. That's what they were going to do; get Angel to the clearing and transport her to a helicopter! They definitely were not going to take the chance and keep her in the car the whole way to Nevada! "Up ahead," I told Max. Comprehension dawned on her face as she understood the Eraser's plan. Meeting my eyes, I nodded to her. We both understood what we had to do. Our only chance was when they transferred her to the chopper.

Neither of us expected it to happen so fast, though. As the car slammed on its breaks, I got ready. Grab the bag and fly…grab Angel and get the heck out of here! An Eraser leaped out of the car and ran towards the safety of the helicopter. "Not today You Big Lunkhead!" I yelled as I landed on him. Considering he pulled a knife out and slashed my arm, I guess he didn't like his new name. I can't help Angel if I get mauled. With this in mind, I jump into the air and spread my wings out, working my muscles to get my higher in case one of them decides to shoot.

Well, they didn't have shooting in mind because the next eraser that emerged threw a grenade at Iggy and Nudge. Before it could detonate, Nudge pulled Iggy out of the way. Even at a distance they were still showered with debris as it exploded. A torrent of metal and wood rained upon the area, and I was temporarily blinded. Panicking, I flew higher to see if I could catch a glimpse of Angel.

The copper's rotor started picking up speed. Shoot. This was not good! "Angel! Where are you?" I mentally screamed. Just then, an Eraser that seemed vaguely familiar shot out of the car carrying a bag. "Angel!"

Just then my cry changed. "Max! What the heck are you doing?" Max had leaped out of the woods to chase the Eraser. The Eraser tossed Angel in and jumped in behind her just as the chopper was taking off!

"NO! NOT ANGEL!" Max cried as she jumped after him!

"MAX!" Gazzy screamed!

"NO! MAX! DON'T!" Nudge shrieked!

"NO!" Iggy yelled, obviously understanding by our cries what she was doing.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING? GET BACK HERE!" I yelled! She's going to get herself killed! Or worse, captured! Worse? Oh yes. Going to the School is much worse than getting killed. Max, oblivious to our outraged cries, had hooked her arm around the landing skid as it was taking off. The downdraft from the rotors pushed her wings downward, and she quickly pulled them in. Great. Now she's hanging from a helicopter containing Erasers with guns and no wings. How stupid can that girl be?

Of course, just then the mysterious Eraser had to pull a rifle out and point it at her. "Drop, Max drop!" I whispered, too afraid that she would hang there until they shot her to look away. I vaguely noticed the rest of the Flock fly to my side.

"Fang, what is she doing? They're going to shoot her! OR capture her! Or doing something else that is absolutely horrible! They are sooo mean! OMG they have a guns! What is she doing?" Nudge inquired.

"I don't know, Nudge," I said hoarsely. I honestly was terrified that she wouldn't let go. Just as it seemed too late, she dropped and freefell for a few seconds before opening her wings. Looking back at the chopper, I noticed something I hadn't before…I now understood why the Eraser looked so familiar…he was Ari! Jeb's son! They had turned him into an Eraser! This realization took my breath away…I couldn't believe it! Ari-an Eraser! How had they done that?

**A/N: Ok, the way I perceived it, Fang didn't see Ari until he took Angel from the car to the helicopter…whether this was true in the books, idk, but this is the way I'm doing it. Review? I'll give you a cookie!**


	8. Where's Max?

**Disclaimer: The only way I could own MR was if I used Angel to force JP to give me the rights…this being said, I don't know where to find Angel. Therefore, I DON'T OWN MR!**

**Eric****: Thanks! I'm glad you like it! And thanks for reviewing! *gives a cookie to you***

**Yuki****: haha thanks! How's your story coming along? I can't wait for the next chapter! Oh and you get a cookie *hands you cookie* Yay for cookies!**

**Xana****: Thank you so much! I love getting praise from my readers *wink wink*! I try my best to keep him in character, and I think I do it well; however, it's always nice to have another person's opinion! Here's your cookie! *hands cookie***

**And also thanks to those who added me to favorites/subscription: Because-i-am, Rocket2Jupiter, InvisbleColors, Music Freak 93, Xanadira, MiatheMinion**

**Also, now that Angel's gone *sniff* anything that is **_italicized_** is Fang's thoughts. When Angel comes back, her thoughts will be bold and **_**italicized**_**. Sorry for any confusion! **

Having the wonderful ability of super vision, we were forced to watch the helicopter take Angel away for an excruciating long time. Starting after the copter, I kept apologizing, _Angel, I'm so sorry! Angel, I wish I had tried harder! Just hold on! We'll get you out of there!_ Everyone else seemed to be doing the same thing. Except Max. She was just staring heartbroken after the chopper. Angel was like her baby. Max raised her and taught her everything. I can only imagine what she was going through.

"They have my sister!" Gazzy yelled, throwing himself down on the ground. Sobs racked his body, and I felt horrible.

Kneeling down next to him, I whispered, "Gazzy, it's ok. We're going to go get her and everything will end up ok."

*sniff* "I know, Fang. But, I'm supposed to protect her! And she was captured! I just don't think I'm all that great at protecting my own little sis…"

"Listen, Gazzy, you do a wonderful job of watching over Angel. But not even she expected to you to save her from those Erasers…there were just too many!" She may not have been expecting Gazzy to save her, but she was expecting me. _I'm so sorry Angel!_

"Max, what are we gonna do?" Nudge inquired, sniffling. "They have Angel!"

Looking like she was about to have an emotional breakdown, Max pushed off the ground and spread her wings. Flying fast, she raced into the woods to cry. Everyone looked a little stunned after that. "Fang? Now what?" Nudge asked.

"Go back to the house to get cleaned up. She'll come back," I replied. No need to get everyone even more worked up.

Flying back to the house with two Flock members missing was horrible. We soared through the air, the wind drying the Gasman's and Nudge's tears. I think Iggy even let a few go, though don't tell him I noticed. Me, well I was too depressed to cry…plus, you know, I'm Fang, so I try not to cry. Don't get me wrong, I don't think crying is a sissy thing to do. None of the Flock members are sissies. It's just not something I do. I am the rock that keeps the Flock together, as Max constantly reminds me. Therefore, I don't cry.

As we touched down at our house, everyone just stood there, looking at the battlefield before us. Littering the ground was Erasers. Most were whole, but thanks to Iggy's bombs, some were just…parts. Eww! Quickly, I ushered Nudge and Gazzy inside. There was no need for them to see disguising things like that. Even though it was nothing like what happened at the school, the less they are reminded of it, the better. _We're going to have to clean all those bodies up…wait, what are you thinking? Angel was kidnapped and all you can worry about is how our front lawn looks! No one even comes out here!_

Glancing around to make sure no one had noticed my silent conversation, I noticed that everyone was pretty much wrapped up in their own thoughts. Nudge was crying again, the silence prompting memories of happy times. Gazzy was trying to be tough, but I could tell his heart wasn't in it. Iggy, however, had gone straight pass sadness to anger.

"How did this happen?" he whispered to me, trying to control his temper.

"Iggy, if I knew Angel would still be here," I said, trying to contain my emotions.

"Well, I don't believe that! You could have done something! You could see her!" he yelled at me, quickly losing his calm façade.

"Iggy! I did all that I could! We all tried to save her! They outnumbered us! We're not invincible!" I yelled, startling everyone in the room, including myself.

"Iggy, we all miss her…" Nudge said tearfully.

"I know! But…still…if only we tried harder! Do you have any idea of where she's headed?" Iggy yelled back.

"Iggy…" I warned, the tone of my voice implying not to tell anything until Max got back. Speaking of Max, where is she? She had been gone a while! Surely the Eraser's hadn't captured her…

_Darn! I didn't even think of that! What if they left some Erasers to capture us in case we separated? What if she's gone? _

_No! Don't think like that! Max will come back…she wouldn't desert the Flock…at least, not on purpose. However, in the state she was in, it would be easy to overpower her…_

_I've got to go find her!_

Iggy, however, wasn't ready to let me go. "Why shouldn't they know? They have been through as much as us trying to save her! They should know how hopeless it is!"

"IGGY! DO NOT SAY ANOTHER WORD!" I had completely lost it…Max missing was driving me crazy and Iggy definitely was NOT helping! After my explosion, Iggy, Nudge, and Gazzy looked stunned. They had never really heard me talk, none the less yell.

Just as I had made up my mind to go out and look for Max, the kitchen door slammed open. With a gasp, we all turned towards the door, prepared to fight more Erasers and saw…our leader, the one who could get us out of this mess, Max.

**A/N: Happy 4****th**** of July to all my fellow Americans out there! Now, how about a review telling me how the fireworks were?**


	9. Stay Strong

**Hey! New chapter up! I do believe this is the longest one yet! Btw, I went back and edited a few of the earlier chapters, just in case you want to reread them! **** Also, I WILL BE OUT OF TOWN THIS WEEK. I WILL WRITE THE CHAPTERS ON THE PLANE, BUT THEY WILL NOT GET UPDATED UNTIL I GET BACK! Thanks!**

**.****: Thanks for the review and the advice! I'll try to add Fax a bit more in these chapters! Please let me know if you can think of anything else that needs improving! **

**Yuki****: Thanks! Yummy cookies! I think I was actually eating chocolate while I was typing it!**

**Kaityln****: Thanks for reviewing! Oh my gosh, that would've been AMAZING! Sadly, the nearest mountains to me are about 6 hours to the east. However, we still had some really good ones, and I was extremely close! **

**And to the favoriters/subscripters: XxLilyFlowerxX, PonandZi**

**Disclaimer: I do not own MR; if I did the movie would already be out!**

Max heartbrokenly walked into the kitchen, taking in the mess we had left this early. As her eyes fell on our breakfast plates, she looked as if she was about to break down crying; Angel's plate was still at the kitchen. _Darn. I knew I should have cleaned those up. _

Iggy soon broke under the tension in the kitchen. Howling, he swept his hand across the kitchen counter, wanting to hit something to release his anger…I felt the same way. I did not, however, expect him to take it out on me. I should have expected it, after what happened earlier. Iggy, in the midst of swinging his arm, hit a coffee mug that hurtled straight for my head. _Ouch!_ It definitely was not the worst thing that had happened to me today, but having a Flock member throw it at me hurt deeper. Just then, I broke. Everything that had happened this morning had been building up on me: losing Angel, the fight with the Erasers, almost losing Max _twice, _and seeing Ari as an Eraser…it was just too much.

"Watch it, idiot!" I yelled at him. I think everyone in the room was as shocked as I was. I not only yelled to a Flock member but also yelled to Iggy about his sight…rolling my eyes in frustration, I wished I had just stayed quiet. Max was crying quietly; I hope my outburst with Iggy wasn't the cause of her tears. _Max, I didn't mean to! It was just too much! How do you do it?_ I silently conveyed to her. She wasn't concerned with me at the moment though. Without thinking, she moved to help the Flock. _Max, you're the worst out of all of us! Treat yourself first! _As usual, she didn't even register that she was hurt. Max was easily the worst here…her face was all scraped up, she had been knocked out, and who knows what else.

Gazzy's cuts weren't bad, and Nudge had burned her cheek. I walked over to the First aid kit to get some bandages for my hand. That cut the Eraser had given me hadn't stopped bleeding…

While fixing the kids up, Max looked as if she was about to have a break down. _Max, this wasn't your fault! You didn't ask for The School *shudder* to come and capture Angel! You didn't ask for the Erasers to come attack us! None of this is your fault! Stop beating yourself up about it! _I yearned to go over and comfort her; just as I made up my mind to do just that, Iggy yelled at me. "You watch it!"_ What? Oh, he's talking about the cup._ "What happened? I mean, you guys can see, can't you? Why couldn't you get Angel?"

Gazzy had had enough of our yelling. "They had a chopper! And guns! We're not bulletproof!" Well, you've got to give him credit for giving a convincing reason…_I'm sorry Angel! Why couldn't those scientists have given us bulletproofness? We will get you out!_

Max decided to take control of the situation. "Guys! Guys! We're all upset! But we're not the enemy! They're the enemy." Wow Max…great pep talk. As if we didn't all know that before…it did shut everyone up, though. She calmed herself down by pacing. "Just—be quiet for a minute so I can think." Well, I hope she comes up with something better than I did…my plan was fly to *shudder* The School and bust her out. How we would do so, I hadn't gotten that far. We needed to hurry up…the longer Angel was there the more torturing she would have to endure!

"Take deep breaths," Gazzy told Max. Well, there goes Max's plan…she doesn't think well when one of us is in danger. Max didn't seem to like the situation she was in; one of her babies comforting her. She almost cried right then and there. _Be strong Max. We will figure something out! I guarantee it!_

She peered around the kitchen, trying to calm herself. Her gaze landed on me, and I tried not to acknowledge the feeling in my stomach I got whenever she looked at me. To distract myself I opened a can of ravioli…well, that and I was hungry. I really didn't eat much at breakfast. As I looked into her eyes, I tried to convey some of my outward calmness…of course, I wasn't calm on the inside, but Max didn't need to know that!

Just then, Nudge shakily spoke. "You know, if they just wanted to kill her, or kill all of us, they could have. They had guns. They wanted Angel alive for some reason." _Darn. I know the reason. _"And they didn't care if we were alive or not. I mean, they didn't go out of their way to make sure we were dead, is what I'm saying. So that makes me think we have time to go after Angel again." _We may have time, but not much. Being alive in that place is much worse than being dead…_

"But they were in a chopper!" _Wow, Gazzy is really focused on this chopper aspect… _"They're way gone. They could be anywhere!" _I hate to break this to you Gazzy…we know where she is. _"Like, China or something." _I wish she was in China…nobody wants to experiment on us there! _**(A/N: hahaha what about Mr. Chu? Sorry, just had to add that!) **

Max went over to Gazzy and ruffled his hair. _That's not really going to help Max. _"I don't think they took her to China, Gazzy."

I decided to speak up, "We know where they took her." Uncomfortable in the silence, I scraped my fork on the bottom of the ravioli can.

"Where's that?" Iggy asked._ Huh? We were just talking about that earlier! What is he doing? _He raised his head, his sightless eyes filled with unshed tears. Looking in my general direction, I saw that he was just hoping it wasn't where he thought it was. Apparently our earlier fight had filled him with fear for Angel…he of all the others knew of the horrors that the scientists could do. Losing his sight had been the worst thing that had ever happened to him, besides being stuck in that place in the first place. The worst part was that he could still remember seeing…Max and I could too and it was torture every time he felt lost because of his blindness. Iggy was my brother. He probably knew the most about me, besides Angel…_We will get you out of there Angel! Don't worry!_

"The School," Max and I said in unison. Well, let's just say that from their reactions, that definitely was not what they were expecting…


	10. The Map

**Ok I'm back from vacation…went to Niagara Falls! It was AMAZING! If you haven't been, you should definitely go! Sorry if I missed anyone's review…My e-mail was a wreck when I came back!**

**Yuki: hahaha I wish I owned it too…ah well, hopefully they will come out with it soon! I do hope they don't completely change everything! And I went to Niagara Falls! It was absolutely AMAZING! You definitely need to go if you get the chance in your life!**

**XXForestStarXX: Thanks! Yeah, but who knows if Mr. Chu actually lives in China…though there are scientists that want them there. *shrugs* Oh well.**

**Thanks to my favoriters/subscripters: alex052, The Anti-BusinessMan,**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR. **

Gasping, Nudge looked at us like we were crazy. Gazzy looked terrified and then tried to wipe it off his face. He didn't succeed. Of course, this was his sister we were talking about.

Iggy tensed, trying not to think of all the horrors we were forced to endure. This was a hard topic to talk about, considering his blindness had been caused by a "failed experiment" the scientists conducted. I don't believe that the scientists messed up—with experiments as valuable as us *sneers* they were not going to take any chances. Iggy had most likely been purposely picked to go blind, most likely because of his superior hearing. Even before he had to rely heavily on his ears, his hearing was still far better than the rest of ours.

"They took Angel back to the School?" Gazzy inquired, slightly confused.

"I think so," Max replied, her voice steady. I could tell that she was just doing it for the kids, though. Inside, she was screaming…

"Why? After four years, I thought they had forgotten—"

Ah, naïve Nudge. "They want us back." I hated to burst her bubble, but she was old enough to face the truth. Hopefully, Gazzy could handle it…although, at the moment, he was more worried about Angel. I don't blame him.

"They'll never forget about us. Jeb wasn't supposed to take us out of there," Max reminded the Flock.

I had thought of another thing they needed to know. "Jeb knew they would do anything to get us back. If anyone ever discovered what they did to us, it would be the end of the School." I wish it was that simple…the School would be gone, but we would still be freaks.

"Why don't we tell on them then? We could go on a TV station and tell everyone and say, Look, they grew wings on us, and we're just little kids, and—" Nudge pointed out. However, there were a few flaws in her seemingly brilliant plan…

"Okay, that would fix them, but we'd end up in a zoo." Iggy had a good point. I definitely would take this life over life in a zoo. I still can't believe we all ended up like this…sometimes I wonder how all of us survived. None of us were severely damaged (although the scientists believe we are) or mutated (besides the wings, of course). We still had our morals, never killing if we didn't have to. We had the best leader we could ask for. What were the chances of this happening? _Stay focused, Fang._

Gazzy started to panic. "Well, what are we going to do, then?" They were not going to like this…

I had gotten up to go retrieve some of Jeb's old documents. They were stored in the back of the closet in the room he used to use. We didn't ever have to have anything to do with the School after we left, but Jeb made us promise to never throw out his documents…at the time, we thought this promise was not necessary, considering we thought he would always be with us. _I wonder if he knew he was going to get captured…maybe that's why he was always preparing us for a time without him. No, that's ridiculous. Jeb would have moved somewhere else if he thought he was in danger. _So, when Jeb went missing, we followed his orders and kept all the papers. Never was I so happy that we had actually followed an adult's orders! Iggy and Gazzy had wanted to burn all of his stuff as a memorial (or so they claimed…those guys just can't get enough of setting things aflame) but Max intervened. Not wanting to look at the papers, they were unceremoniously thrown into the dusty closet.

I searched through the documents, looking for one in particular as I walked back into the kitchen. Upon finding it, I was surprised at the condition they were in: yellowed paper, faded words, and poop covered. Slightly revolted, I shook off the droppings, knowing Nudge would go overboard if she saw them.

"Eew! Eew! Was that—" Nudge exclaimed as I continued to shake the documents. Yep, I knew she wouldn't like that. Good thing I got most of it off in the hall.

Giving the papers to Max, I looked at Nudge to cut her off. This was not the time to be picky. Max reluctantly took them, not because of the droppings, but because of the information they contained. These "special" documents contained information on the School: where it was, what it did, and different things it hoped to achieve with the experiments it so humanely conducted. *snort*

Clearing the breakfast plates and such, we spread the stack of papers out on the table. Seeing how many we had, it was hard to not get a little depressed. _How are we ever going to find the information we want in all of this? _Never the less, I started searching. After a few moments of strained silence, I found the one we were looking for. Shivering slightly at the fact that we were about to do this, I looked at Max for the ok. Nodding, she caught my eyes and I temporarily forgot what I was doing. _Those gorgeous eyes…get a grip of yourself!_

I popped the wax on the paper. Before breaking the seal, I noticed a peculiar symbol pressed into the wax. It looked like a little capital "I." _Hmm, that's a little strange_ I thought before it completely escaped my mind. After all, I'm about to open a document on the School…that's a much more pressing problem. **(A/N: haha if only he knew…)**

"What's that?" Gazzy inquired as I opened it.

"Map," I answered. _I'll just leave the explaining for Max…she's better at that than I am._

"Map of what?" Nudge asked, leaning closer to get a good look at it. Apparently, the mouse droppings no longer bothered her.

"Map of a secret facility...In California…The School." Max tensely said. I knew how she was feeling; not one of us ever dreamed that we would have to go back. However, each and every one of us would do it for Angel.

**A/N: I wonder how Fang will take Max's decision to leave Ig and Gazzy behind…will he be mad at her? Hmmm…you'll just have to find out! Also, I'm sorry if I got the Itex symbol wrong. I couldn't find where it was mentioned in the book. Review?**


	11. The Understatement of the Century

**New chapter! Yay! And just to let you know, this week is band camp…anyone who has to go through this torture knows that after band camp, you really don't want to do anything but sleep in an air conditioned room (hahaha)! So, I'll try to update, but don't count on it. Sorry! Also, I haven't been getting as many reviews…please REVIEW! What happened to all my other faithful reviewers? They left me! Thanks to those that stayed, though!**

**Naylorticole****: Thank you! I plan to!**

**Yuki:**** hahahaha! That would be great! I would love to see Max try to drive like a camper or an RV…that's actually not a bad idea for a story…mind if I steal it? hahaha :D**

**Chloe****: Thank you! And I'll make sure to keep you posted! See ya at band camp…ick**

**And thanks to all my favoriters/subscriptors: beccalynn82, Maxi66**

**Disclaimer: I do not own MR…I do own my saxophone, though! **

Just as I expected, everyone in the room was flabbergasted. "Whaaat?" Gazzy stuttered.

Iggy paled at the mention of the School. I'm sure he was thinking of his sight and all the tortures they could do to Angel. What if they tried to improve her? _No Fang, don't think of that. We will get her before anything like that happens!_

Max took a deep calming breath before continuing. "That's where they took Angel. And that's where we have to go to get her back."

"Oh," Nudge said. _Uh-oh…here it comes! _"Yeah. We have to go get Angel back. We can't let her stay there—with them. They're—monsters. They're going to do bad things to her." _Well, that's the understatement of the century. _"And put her in a cage. Hurt her. But there's five of us. So the rest of us have to go get hmph—" Max decided that was enough rambling from her; she put her hand over Nudge's mouth. Nudge peeled her fingers away from her mouth. "Uh, how far is it?"

Luckily, when I first looked at the map I had calculated the distance. "Six hundred miles, more or less." None of us are that good at math. I was most likely around the right distance, but you can never tell. "At least a seven-hour flight, not including breaks." Now this part I was sure of. It actually was longer than that, but I didn't want to freak Max out any more than she already was. It was going to be a loooong flight…not to mention a stressing one.

"Can we discuss this?" Iggy's outburst surprised me. What was there to discuss? We were going to get Angel no matter how high the risks were! Didn't Iggy know that? "We're way outnumbered!" Oh, well that makes a little more sense. Max isn't going to let that perturb her though. He should know that by now! Plus, does it really matter? We were way outnumbered at the last fight and we still came through ok…well, sort of ok…I guess…

"No." Iggy looked a little affronted. He should have expected that…Max would never leave Angel to die at the hands of those devils! In fact, she was already scanning the map, planning routes and stops I'm sure.

"Can we take a vote?" _Ooo that's not going to go over well with Max._ "They had guns! And a chopper!" Iggy was starting to get extremely ticked off.

Max matched Iggy's tone. "Iggy, this not a democracy. It's a Maxocracy." _Maxocracy? Where did that come from? _"You can't be thinking that we would just let them take her. The six of us look out for one another—no matter what. None of us is ever going to live in a cage again, not while I'm alive." I wanted to shoot Iggy a look telling him to let it drop. Max could argue for hours about this, and time was something we just did not have at the moment. However, him being blind kind of ruined that plan. Max never stopped for him to comment though…

"But actually, Nudge, Fang, and I are going after Angel." _What? What about Gazzy and Iggy? _"You and the Gasman—I need you to stay here. Hold down the fort. On the off chance Angel escapes and makes her way home." _Wow. That was the worst excuse ever. How could she consider leaving them at home? We need to stick together!_ I tried to catch Max's eye, but she was still looking down at the map, preparing herself for the abuse that was sure to follow. Sure enough, there was a dead silence, and then Iggy spoke up.

"You are so full of it. That's not why you want us here. Why don't you just say it?" This was not going to go over well. If Max really said it, there would be a serious fight in here. Iggy was not in the mood to remind him that his blindness was at this time a handicap.

Max was trying her best to keep her temper. She was fighting with herself over this decision; I could see it. She really didn't want us to split, but she felt she had no choice. She was just trying to protect them…I think I would have done the same to her if she would let me. Knowing Max, she would just punch and continue on her way.

"Okay," Max replied, trying to keep her voice kind. "It's true. I don't want you to come." _Ouch! That's got to hurt! _"The fact is, you're blind, and while you're a great flyer around here where you know everything, I can't be worrying about you in the middle of a fight with the Erasers." Iggy's face twisted with anger. Max just did the unthinkable: she TOLD Iggy that he would be a handicap. It's bad thinking about it, but actually telling him? That was harsh! I'm starting to agree with Iggy…

"What about me? I don't care if they have guns and a chopper and Erasers! She's my sister!" Gazzy yelled. This was not a good idea, Max…

Apparently Max had an answer for this too. "That's right. And if they want her so bad, they might want you just as bad." _She did have a point there. _"Plus, you're a great flyer, but you're eight years old, and we're going to be logging major hours." _He could handle it, Max. Don't leave them at home! They would probably blow it up out of anger!_

"Jeb would never have made us stay. Never. Ever." _Man, that was a low blow…even in the situation they're in._

Max looked really stressed. She pressed her lips together and swallowed her pride. "Maybe not. We'll never know. Jeb's dead. Now everyone get your gear." As I walked to get my stuff, I thought about Max's comment. For sure, Jeb wouldn't have wanted us to split. I wasn't so sure how well this would turn out…well, I guess we will just have to wait and see…

**A/N: Poor Iggy and Gazzy…I never liked this part. I thought Max's decision was not the best. Review?**


	12. So Long Colorado

**When I saw how many reviews I had gotten, I was so pleased that I decided to update early and make it an extra long chapter! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING! Also, now that there are quite a few chapters without Fang, I'm going to be making a lot of scenes up. They will eventually match back up!**

**Puppybluie****: Thanks for the suggestion! I tried to make this one longer, so please let me know if it was ok!**

**Pompomrat****: Hahaha thanks so much! And I don't think anyone can help being a Fangirl…it just comes naturally! ;)**

**MissP48****: Thanks for the reminder! I was trying to make them seem a little closer, but I guess that didn't work all that great...Were they really out of character?**

**SeaSaltChocolate****: Hahaha it's absolutely wonderful to know you like this so much! And thanks so much for reviewing! And adding me to favorites! THANK YOU! :D**

**OnYeen17****: Thank you! And I'll try to check closer…I usually go through it at least twice but some mistakes just escape my eyes! Yeah, I've always wondered how different the book would be if they had stuck together…**

**Yuki****: Thanks for reviewing! And band camp is pretty bad…it's super hot (in the 100s here) and humid (cuz I'm down south), and we stay outside to march from 8AM-5PM. That's from Monday to Saturday…**

**XXForrestStarXX****: Thanks! Yeah, they definitely get their revenge! **

**Thanks to my subscribers/favoriters: Naylorticole, Puppybluie, Pompomrat, SeaSaltChocolate, TeamFangCuzEdwardIsGross (I LOVE your pen name!)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned MR, I would be going to some private rich school that has a room with air conditioning for band camp…as it is, I don't go to that school. Therefore, I don't own Maximum Ride! **

After grabbing a few essential things and throwing them in a backpack, I headed back to the kitchen. I longed to stretch my wings; even if this was a rescue mission, it was wonderful to fly in the clear blue sky. Up high with the birds and away from all the troubles that overwhelmed you on the ground was absolute paradise. However, I doubted even flying would prevent us from worrying about Angel. The poor girl; she certainly didn't deserve that! Not one of us ever wants to set foot on that place ever again. Yet, here we are, planning to go back there. Passing Max's room, I checked inside to see if she was ready. "Max?"

She gasped; obviously I had startled her. That's pretty strange; usually she can tell when I'm coming. I have no idea how she does it, but we're sort of…connected, if that makes sense. We've been best friends since the cage days, and in all those times by ourselves we got to know each other extremely well. Spinning around quickly, her shoe got caught in a shirt that was lying on the floor. Wildly reaching for something to grab, she fell to the floor. "Umpf!" I rushed over to her.

"You ok?" I asked, a little worried. The last thing we needed was for her to twist her ankle or something.

She grabbed my hand I had extended for her to use. As she pulled herself up, I braced myself. It wouldn't do any good to fall on top of her; not to mention that would be very awkward. "Yeah, you just…startled me…" she replied, looking into my eyes. I became distinctly aware of her bright chocolate eyes and soft hair. Max was the prettiest girl I had ever met. She was perfect in almost every way. Her hand seemed to fit in mine, just like it was made to be…

BANG! Just like that, the trance was broken. Max quickly yanked her hand out of mine, blushing slightly as she turned to the doorway. I shook my head, trying to collect my thoughts after what had happened. Standing there was Iggy looking incredibly pissed. "Guys, if you're going to go get Angel then hurry up and do it! Or am I just too mediocre to tell you absolutely perfect people what to do?"

"Iggy," Max sighed. "You know it's not because we don't want you! I'm just afraid of one of us getting hurt, and I would much rather know you two are safe here than fighting for your lives."

"Yeah right! You're just afraid of me slowing everyone down!" What was he talking about?

"Iggy, that's not true! Don't you ever tell yourself that!" You tell him Max. I'm not really one with words…that's Max's job. I'm also not good with encouragement. That's also Max's job.

"Ok, well if that's not the reason why are you taking everyone else? Wouldn't it be quicker to just go by yourself?"

When Max looked as if she had actually considered this, I blurted out, "No. There is no way I would let her go alone to the School." All three of us tensed at my mention of that place, Iggy more noticeably. Then my words must have dawned on Max.

"'Let me?' As if you 'let me' do anything! I am not some helpless female that needs looking after!" Crap. Max was livid. Now, as much as I love making her mad (because she looks hot), I do try to stay on her good side most of the time, especially when we have a seven hour flight ahead of us. The last thing I need is a long stressing flight to the School with Max not speaking to me and Nudge rambling the whole time. I have to at least try to fix this…

"No, Max I didn't mean it like that…" I really did mean it, and she knew it. With as many Erasers as there was going to be, Max by herself would be lucky to survive. Heck, as it is we'll be lucky to make it out of there unharmed with Angel. However, I trust Max, and I know that she will come up with something to get her out of there. I just hope it won't be some stupid plan like offering herself as bait…I would kill her if she tried that.

"Save it Fang. We've got some long flying hours ahead of us. I'm sure you can find it in your time to explain it to me then." As she walked out of the room muttering "Sexist pig," she brushed my shoulder. Whether it was intentional or not, that small amount of contact made me get goose bumps. Man, Iam so whipped. With the smallest amount of contact she's got me completely brain fogged.

"So Fang, what were you doing in Max's room with Max? Having a little smooch-fest? Did you really think this was a good time? Angel is out there getting tortured, and all you can do is snog Max!" Iggy was still extremely annoyed. Did he really have to bring up Max?

"Iggy! I was not doing any of that. I came in here to check if she was ready." I didn't see the point in telling him everything that had happened…

"Sure. Whatever," Iggy truly didn't care. I don't blame him…well, maybe a little. However, right now Angel was our priority, and like it or not, Iggy's rant was partially true. I mean, not the making out part, but the part about the distractions. Angel cannot afford that right now. He left the room, presumably to go plan some huge payback bomb or something like that. I know Max doesn't believe it, but I don't always know their plans. Well, I hope they don't go for any of my stuff. Most likely, we are going to come back and find the whole house demolished. On this pleasant thought, I decided to join the rest of the Flock in the kitchen.

As I walked in, everyone got silent and turned towards me. _What? Why are they all looking at me? _Max shook her head a little; she would tell me later. Ok then…

Max turned back to Nudge and finished telling her the plan. "Ok Nudge, now where are we going?"

"Death valley. We meet at Lake Mead if separated. Hey, why do they call it Lake Mead? Is the lake made up of mead? What is mead anyways? Isn't it some sort of drink? I've heard it somewhere…" Nudge rambled. I wonder where she heard the word mead from.

Max looked as if she was going to ask but changed her mind. Wise choice. We would not get a straight answer from Nudge. "Um, ok, disregarding the mead part, that was correct."

"Ok, good. That's very good that I know it. I don't want to lose anyone or get lost. Getting lost isn't fun! I remember when I got lost in the woods once…that was before I learned to use my internal compass. But really, are we just born with that? Why aren't we born with more useful skills like how to get a boyfriend? That's much more useful than a compass…" Wow. Why would she want a boyfriend? She's only twelve!

"Nudge! We are going to get Angel! Please stay on this subject!" Max was near her breaking point.

"Right. Sorry. It's just, it's so fun to talk! I could talk forever! I wonder what the fastest talker record is. I bet it's like a hundred words per minute or something…" **(A/N: It's actually 603.32 wpm by Fran Capo!)**

"NUDGE! Do NOT say another word unless I ask you a question!" Max had had enough.

"Ok. Oops I just talked! Darn! I did it again!" With that, she shut her mouth, and turned an imaginary key and threw it over her shoulder. *sigh* If only that was real.

"Ok. Now Fang, I'm assuming you heard most of that, and I really don't feel like explaining it again. I have a feeling that Nudge will eventually tell you all of it along with a billion other facts." Nudge looked a little sheepish at that. "Any questions?"

I shook my head and Nudge copied me. Wow, she didn't say anything. That's a first.

"Good. We will work out the rest of the plan after we have mapped out the building and surrounding areas." Sounds like a good plan to me.

"Ok, well…guys, I guess we'll be going now." Man, this was about to get really awkward. Gazzy was trying to stay mad, but it was not working. The thought of us leaving him was too much. He walked over to Max and gave her a hug. After doing the same to Nudge, he walked over to me. I continued to stand straight, not expecting a hug. I'm not the huggiest person in the world.

Instead, Gazzy just whispered something to me. "Bring her back, Fang. Get her and bring her back for me. We will work on stuff from this end, but it's up to you to get her."

"Don't worry. We will." I don't know if I entirely reassured him, but he didn't look as worried. I meant to follow through on the promise, but we were going to a risky place.

Iggy just kind of stood there, looking out of place. He was fidgeting when Max stepped up to him. I didn't hear what she said, but a dark shadow passed across his face. He tensely nodded and, after nodding a farewell to me and Nudge, turned back into the house. Gazzy was too upset to pay much attention to him at the moment. I hoped Ig wouldn't be too miserable to try and comfort Gazzy; with everyone gone, he was going to need it.

It was go time. Nudge took a running start and after pumping her wings hard, took off from the ground. She flew about two hundred feet up to wait for the rest of us. Max motioned for me to go next, but I wanted to be last. I waved her ahead. She looked at me a little strange, but did as I requested. Her white and tawny wings whipped out as she took to the air.

Now, it was just me and Gazzy outside. "We'll be back with Angel. Don't worry. And after 'working on things from this end' you can come find us at Lake Mead."

"Ok, I'll tell Ig." Gazzy heartbrokenly replied.

I turned back and ran forward, the wind rushing around me. Pulling out my wings, I was lifted into the air. _Freedom!_ I knew Max would be upset if she ever found out I had told Iggy and Gazzy to find us, but we couldn't keep the Flock separated. It didn't feel natural. Turning my head slightly, I took one last look at our house nestled between the mountains before catching up with Max and Nudge. For some reason, I had this weird feeling that it would be our last time here. So long Colorado!

**A/N: And the journey begins! So, what'd you think? Just press that little button and tell me! **


	13. To Just Live

**I SURVIVED BAND CAMP! YAY! This chapter is dedicated to Karynn who reviewed for more than the recently updated chapter and Naylorticole who was my 50****th**** reviewer! I love you guys! Keep reviewing please! Also, I think I'm going to start updating on Sundays and Wednesdays. School will be starting soon, so it may just be on Sundays, but I'll try twice a week!**

**Karynn****: Thank you so much for reviewing more than just the recent chapter! I tried to update fast, and thanks again!**

**GottaloveJamesPotter****: Thank you! I'm glad you like it so much!**

**Puppybluie****: Thank you! I found it was a lot easier to make my own chapter longer than it was to do the book ones. I may try adding stuff in the book scenes to make the chapters longer. Do you think that would be ok, or should I just keep them as they appear in the book?**

**XXForrestStarXX****: Thanks for reviewing! I bet Nudge could beat her…**

**Yuki****: Thanks! Yeah, I always wondered how they knew so I just decided that Fang must have told him. I mean, it does make sense…**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own MR…and guess what? I never will…**

Flying again was amazing! We were soaring through the air at about 90 mph, and with a good airstream, we could boost it to 110 mph. Try going that fast on the ground! You would get pulled over by those police men, arrested, and be nowhere close to rescuing Angel. Once again, I had mixed feelings for those scientists. I mean, I hate them; I really do. Sometimes though, particularly when I'm high above all those people, you have to thank them for giving us wings. Now, the experimentation part I could have done without…

There was no way I could feel this calm walking on the ground. It was pure bliss! The wind rushing through my hair, flying with those I love best…or some of them. Flying with Max was always fun. Her beautiful wings rustled in the wind, and usually on her face was an almost serine expression. That's definitely not something that's present on your normal day. However, on this flight her face was lacking its usual expression; replacing it was worry. I was definitely anxious about Angel, but worrying about her is not going to help us get to her faster.

"We clear on plan B?" Max yelled. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention it was loud up here. You know, with the wind and all…

I nodded, answering her question. On her face was a slight hint of exasperation, as if my non-speaking annoyed her slightly. I'm not sure why…it's not like I suddenly stopped. I have always been like this. Well, back in the School I was pretty open with Max, but once Iggy came I shut myself down again. I think it's because I have major trust issues. Max does too, but not as bad as me.

"Uh-huh. If we get separated somehow—though I don't know how we could, unless maybe one of us gets lost in a cloud or something—do you think that could happen? I haven't ever been inside a cloud. I bet it's creepy. Can you see anything inside a cloud—" Nudge stopped with a look from Max. _Lost in a cloud? How the heck would that happen? They aren't that big—you could just fly straight and you could get out. I bet it is dark, though. And very wet. Wow, I'm turning into Nudge…her influence is rubbing off on me…_

Max decided to get off the cloud topic. Throwing an inquiring look at Nudge, she requested her to continue. Nudge finished. "We meet up at the northernmost point of Lake Mead."

Max nodded, almost satisfied. "And where's the School?"

"In Death Valley, eight miles due north from the Badwater Basin." You could tell she wanted to continue talking, but Max didn't want the constant babble. I wish she hadn't shut her up, though. To a non-talker like me, listening is much more enjoyable. Nudge's conversations interest me, and it would have helped take all of our minds off the upcoming raid.

"You got it. Good job." Max replied. With the sudden silence, my mind wandered to the address of the school. It's located in Death Valley, by the Badwater Basin. Could you find a more perfect address? The only thing that would make it even better was if its address was 666 Torture Lane or something like that. Hmm…I'm going to have to check on that. I wonder if it's an actual address somewhere…**(A/N: I don't think it is…it didn't show up on Google.)**

Max was shaking her head. A little concerned, I looked over to see if she was having a seizure or something. Her hair was coming out of the braid she had put it in. Little pieces of hair were whipping across her face, obscuring her vision. I silently laughed to myself; Max can control five rambunctious bird kids yet she can't tame her own hair!

She looked even more worried. I figured this was not about the state her hair was in. With the safety of all of our lives resting on her shoulders, I'm honestly surprised she hasn't cracked yet! There were many times in our childhood when I thought she had gone slightly mad, but nothing has been permanent…hahaha.

She glanced over at me; I could feel her eyes on my face. I yearned to turn and look at her, straight into those profound dark brown eyes, but I knew that she would not like that. Just as I was thinking this, she swooped over to me. "On the plus side, flying is just really, really cool_._"_ Is that the best word choice you could come up with, Max? I appreciated your acknowledgment but is that the best you can do?_ However, I settled with the half smile I knew she liked. "On the minus side, we're mutant freaks who will never live a normal life." That was true, but I think the plus side definitely won.

I shrugged. "Win some, lose some." Max gave me a wry smile, which reflected how she was feeling. Had this been a normal day, she would have laughed. I do love her laugh…

Max glanced over to Nudge. I also looked, checking to see how she was holding up. She looked a bit tired, but we all were tired. This day had been hard on all of us. Especially Angel. I tried pumping my wings harder to get going faster, but that just reminded me how hungry I was. It had been hours ago that we stood around in the kitchen and I ate that can of ravioli. A can of ravioli does not go far when you are flying. We need a lot more calories than the average human. Flying just takes all that energy and zaps it. Plus, we did not need to be hungry and tired on a raid of the School. We were going to be lucky to get out of there unhurt in the best of health.

Max checked her watch. I thought about asking the time, but that would be admitting that I was watching her. Yeah, I know that sounds like I'm a creeper, but I can truthfully say I am not. Why would I need to be? I already know pretty much everything about Max!

Anyways, Nudge had been thinking on a topic for a while. I could see it in her face. "Max? I was thinking—I mean, right before we left? I just looked at Jeb's old files, you know? And some of them were about us. Or me. I saw my name on a page, my real name, Monique, and then, like, some people's names, and then—Tipisco, Arizona. Tipisco is right on the Arizona-California border—I found it on a map. Real tiny town, it looked like. Anyway, I was thinking, none of us ever knew our real parents, and, you know, we've always wondered, or at least I mean I've always wondered, but I guess the rest of you have too, like, whether they gave me up voluntarily, or whether—"

Well, that would be interesting to know. I admit it, I was curious. To actually find one's parents! This was something all of us had been dreaming about for as long as we knew that some kids had adults that cared about them, looked after them. Jeb taught that to us, but it wasn't for a while. I imagine the School did not want their experiments knowing that not everyone was tortured every day. They never thought about how smart we were, though. We always knew that some people were treated better than us. We could tell that the scientists were not tortured endlessly. However, the thing that we did not know was what set us apart; what made them get treated better? In the beginning I wondered if it was because I was bad. I figured it out soon enough. It was because Max and I were freaks; because we had wings. They were fascinated by us simply because we were different, and that's why we were subjected to all those horrid tests. I used to dream that an adult would come in one day and say, "Mister! That little dark boy over there, he's mine! Please don't do any more tests on him! Let me take him home, and I might as well bring that little girl with me too!" It would be just me and Max, rescued by my mom who loved me for who I was. That was my ultimate dream. Whenever the pain was too unbearable to continue, I would think, "Just one more and she'll come. Just one more minute and I will be saved…"

Needless to say, it never happened. I still caught myself believing it sometimes. Not as much as when I was younger, but the idea was becoming to all of us. Someone who would love us and look after us. Someone to take all the responsibility away from Max and to let her just live. To let all of us live.

Max's voice shook me out of my reminiscing. "Nudge, I know how you feel" _I'm sure she feels worse most of the time. _"But those names might not have anything to do with you." _Way to crush a kid's dreams, Max. _"We don't know if we were just test-tube babies or what. Please. Let's focus on rescuing Angel." Man, this was a hard argument to side with. There was Max, the sensible one, or Nudge, the hopeful one. My head said go with Max but my heart was with Nudge's dream…to have a parent, a guardian, a protector…that was a dream come true. Second only to me going out with Max, and her kissing me and enjoying it. I was not quite sure which was more realistic…

I noticed Nudge had stayed quiet. She didn't believe Max's reasoning.

Max had also noticed. "Nudge?" She inquired.

"Yeah, okay. I was just thinking." Max was not getting out of that one so easily. From the look on her face, she knew it, too.

**A/N: What did you think? You can tell me in a review! **


	14. I Spy With My Hawk Eyes

**Hey! Thanks for all the great reviews! I can't believe I only have 4 more days of summer…I start school on the 9****th****. It's so depressing! **

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**Thanks to my favoriters/subscripters: Talkstoangels77, TeamFangCuzEdwardIsGross, Neo Thea Selini**

We were still flying. Don't get me wrong, it's the thing I enjoy most about my life, but I was starving! I know Max was too; she just doesn't want to admit it. Her stupid pride was getting in the way. For some reason, she sees everything as a challenge. Like this. She seems to think that whoever can last the longest without admitting they are hungry is the winner. Now, I may not believe this is right, but who am I to not accept a challenge? I could go a little bit longer without food. Nudge can't. Max will have to break soon; she's the leader and has to take care of the kids.

So, with my thoughts always turning to food, I started seeing shapes in the clouds. You know, like when you sit on your back and look into the sky and see a dancing elephant in a tutu, except mine were not as crazy as that and I was right next to the cloud. I was seeing food: hot dogs, popcorn buckets, nachos, turkey with stuffing. You name it, I saw it. I was afraid I was going to go crazy from all this: who knew, the next thing I could be doing was launching myself over to a cloud to take a big bite out of it. I wonder how Max would react to that. First, she would fear for my sanity. Then, after she realized I was still sane, she would gloat. After that, she would suggest in that leader voice that we all go stop somewhere to eat because apparently some of us are just too hungry to wait. Yeah, that's exactly what she would do.

Nudge I'm sure was thinking along similar lines. Every time we passed a cloud she would stare at it slightly then shake her head. Max was laughing at us both because I think I was doing the same thing. _There is no way I'm going to continue doing this. I'm making a fool out of myself in front of Max. _Well, it wouldn't be the first time. _That doesn't mean it is ok! _I'm talking to myself…I'm really talking to myself. Help me!

Nudge decided to take her mind off her hunger. "Hey! Why don't we play that game Jeb taught us! You know, I spy! I love I spy! Though, sometimes, I don't because it's hard to find stuff. Like that one time Fang spied that really pretty red head girl by the beach and no one could guess what it was. That time wasn't fun. I didn't like it because I didn't win. I try to win. Winning is fun!" Haha I do remember that! It was by far my best one…it took Max nearly an hour to admit she didn't know what it was. Then, when she found out, she hit me repeatedly while calling me a sexist pig. It wasn't like I was checking her out! I just knew Max would never guess that! Since then, she's been trying to beat my record; she hasn't succeeded.

Max's face hardened a little at the reminder of that game. Like I told you, she really didn't like my choice of an "object." "Sure Nudge. Let's see, do you want to go first?" Max smirked at me, as if daring me to beat her. _Well Max, I accept that dare. We will see who's laughing after this!_

"Yay! Ok, let's see…I spy with my hawk eyes…something brown." You see, how we play is that if it's your turn, you start out by saying something basic about it, such as its color or shape. Each round, the Flock members guess what it is. After everyone has had a turn, the spyer has to give us another hint as to what it is. Now, you may be thinking that it's not fair to Iggy, but he just listens to the clues and guesses what fits with the description. He usually beats all of us…I don't know how he does it. Every Flock member has their weakness. Iggy and Gazzy are more likely to choose something destructive. Nudge will talk so much she sometimes gives it away. Angel has been forbidden to use her mind reading power, but sometimes she just can't help herself. Max just chooses random objects, as do I.

Ok, back to the game. _Brown…what's brown?_ "Tree."

"Nope! That was really good though! Trees are brown, just like—Oops I almost told! Max? What's your guess?" See what I mean? She just can't help her mouth.

"Hmm…Is it dirt?" _Dirt? Why would Nudge choose dirt?_

"No! Eew! Dirt is icky! Why would I choose that?" _Told you._

"Well, it's a possibility! Ok, what's the next clue?"

"Ok, well it's surrounded by other brown things." _What kind of a clue is that? It still sounds like a tree!_

"Mud." I know that she probably didn't spy that, but it was the only thing I could think of.

"Gosh! You guys aren't doing well at this! Fang, that's a no." _Yeah, I figured._

"Haha who's the dingo know?" Max is super competitive. She really gets into the game. "Is it a flock of birds?" That one was good. Nudge would definitely be one to choose animals. What other animals are brown?

"No, but that one would have been good! I should choose that next time…" _Well, we know what her next one will be._ "Ok, it's smaller than a loaf of bread." Bread…great now I'm back to thinking about food! Wait a sec…if I'm thinking about food, I bet Nudge is! Brown food…brown food…_chocolate!_

"Chocolate." I was almost positive this was it, and when I saw Nudge's face I knew I had got it. _Yes! Take that Max!_

"Yes! Oh Fang, how did you guess that? I thought I did such a good job at picking it! Sorry Max, but Fang won this round! I love chocolate! It's all sweet and it melts in your mouth! I think I could live off chocolate! I may grow fat though, and that wouldn't be good…"

"Ok Nudge, we got it. Fang won. Now it's my turn." Max was annoyed that I won. She glared at me, and I responded with my signature smirk. Her cheeks reddened slightly and she quickly turned to look for her object. _That was strange…_

"I spy with my hawk eyes something blue." _Blue…water?_

"Is it water? Cuz water's blue! Except when it's dirty, then it's green or brown or something like that. Drinking water is clear, though. So clean water is clear, but why is water blue? I mean, it's clean, isn't it?" _Darn she took mine. The sky?_

"Nope. It's not water. Fang?" She turned to me.

"Sky." She shook her head.

"Ooo that's a good one, too! I don't know why I didn't think of that one in the first place, seeing as we are in the sky. That's a little strange, don't you think?" _Yeah, I don't know why I didn't think of that in the first place either._

"Nudge! Please be quiet so I can give you the next clue! It's also white." _Ok, two colors. Blue and white. A bird? There are quite a few that are blue and white…_

"Is it a cloud? Clouds are white! Then the sky behind it is blue, so it could be a cloud! I bet it's a cloud!" Nudge yelled.

"Sorry Nudge, it's not a cloud." She looked inquiringly at me.

"Bird." Her face fell. _Yes! Fang: 2 Max: 0!_

"Yeah, it's a bird. What kind of bird, Fang?" Well, the only blue and white bird in the vicinity was a Western Scrub-Jay. That had to be it.

"Western Scrub-Jay." She glared at me. _Yes! I got it!_

"Yeah," she grudgingly replied. Ok, now it was my turn. What is a good object?

I looked around, trying to find the perfect item. _Ah hah! Got it!_

"Brown." I stated.

"No Fang! You have to do the rhyme! We go over this every time!" *sigh* Yeah, I know what you're thinking. She's exaggerating. Well, think again! I really do try to get out of it every time we play. Nudge and Angel always correct me, though.

"Fine. I spy with my hawk eyes something brown." _There. I hope you're happy, Nudge._

"Is it a chocolate bar?" Nudge asked. I shook my head.

"Why would he choose the exact same thing you chose?" Max knows me well. I never repeat my items. "Is it a bear? Some sort of animal?"

"Max! You're only allowed one guess at a time! No cheating!" Nudge exclaimed. She's very passionate about this game.

"Fine. Fang, is it a bear?" I laughed silently at this.

"Nope."

"Ok then, what's the next clue?"

"It's also white." I looked straight ahead because if Max looked at me I would lose it. The look she made when she was thinking hard was adorable!

"Ooo is it like a chipmunk? Aren't they brown and white?"

"Not a chipmunk."

"Darn! I thought I had it!" Now Nudge had her thinking face on. _This was so much fun!_ Hahaha Nudge may think that I don't enjoy this game, but seeing the Flocks' faces is the best part!

Max's turn. "Is it a snake?" _Trust Max to think of snakes._

"No."

"Are you just saying that because I didn't name a specific one or is it really not a snake?" _Wow Max…_

"It's not a snake."

"Ok then, what's the next clue?"

"You use it daily." _That should stump them!_

"Just me? Or Nudge too?"

"Max! You're cheating again! Am I going to have to take you out of the game?" Nudge was furious.

"No." Max grudgingly replied.

"Ok then, it can't be like any kitchen things because Max never cooks! Or at least, she's not supposed to! Max, you don't cook do you?" _I hope not!_

"No, Nudge. Although I'm really not THAT bad…" _Really Max? You almost blew up the house the last time you turned on the stove!_

"Oh yes you are! Remember that time you turned on the stove and put all that stuff in that pot and it started smoking and the fire detectors went off and then you started yelling at Iggy because you thought that he had done something but it was actually you? That was pretty scary but afterwards when we figured out everyone was ok it was funny! Then Iggy started mocking you and you let him for like two minutes because you had yelled at him for no reason but then you started yelling at him because apparently it got on your nerves."_ I do believe that was said in one breath._

Max scowled. _I do think she remembers that. It is hard to forget._ I had been asleep at the time, but I woke up in time for some action.

"Let's just get back to the game. My cooking skills have nothing to do with this."

"Ok well it's still my turn. Is it like some kind of clothing? Max, do you wear the same clothing every day?"

"No!" Max was offended. _Wow, this is turning into one strange game._ Of course, any game with Iggy turns out a lot stranger with obvious reasons.

"Nudge, it's not Max's clothes." Max looked at me gratefully.

"Is it a cookie with white and brown chocolate chips?" Now we're back to food. Great. (Note sarcasm.)

"Nope." Now I really wanted food…

"Max, why did you have to bring up food? That reminded me that I was hungry!"

"Nudge, you're always hungry…" That was true, but we did need to stop soon.

"Well that's true, but I'm growing! Fang, what's the next clue?"

I thought for a second. My first thought was sexy, but there was no freakin way I was saying that out loud. Hmm this was more difficult than I thought it would be…

"Speckled." Nudge gave me a knowing glance. Oh gosh. She knew. I slightly shook my head, hoping she would realize that I wanted Max to guess it. She nodded her head, understanding. _Wow, she's really grown up. The old Nudge would have squealed and told everyone within hearing distance._

"Um, is it like a…pair of shoes?" _Well, thanks for trying Nudge._

*snort* "Really Nudge? You think I have shoes like that?" Hahaha as far as I know, Max has one pair of shoes: combat boots. She says they're reliable, sensible, and easy to bash someone's face in with.

"Well, I was just guessing! You never know…anyways it's your guess Max!" She looked eagerly in her direction. Well that doesn't give anything away.

"Hmmm…well let's see…what's brown, white, speckled, and used every day by me…" She pondered this for a few moments. A dawn of comprehension showed on her face. "Is it? No, you didn't…did you?"

"What kind of an answer is that Max?" I asked her.

"Well, I thought for a second that it was…"

**A/N: So, what do you think it was? Find out Sunday! mwahahaha! Review!**


	15. Very Gigantic Mutated Flying Wrecks

**Ok, first off I would like to apologize for my inability to update. My plan for twice a week is not going to be possible, so look for a new chapter on Sunday night! I am very sorry, but my classes this year are super hard (all Honors and AP) and I have tons of homework. Also, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! I LOVE ALL OF YOU! :D This is a short chapter, but I promise I shall make the next one longer!**

**SeaSaltChocolate****: Hahaha I live in the south…we start school early down here. A few of my friends are already in school! Thanks for reviewing even when you were so tired! **

**SSC****: heehee read to find out! ;) And thanks for reviewing!**

**talkstoangels77****: Wow you really thought outside the box! I never even considered one of your choices! Read to find out! Thanks for reviewing!**

**TeamFangCuzEdwardIsGross****: Cookies! I don't deserve them for updating so late…Thanks for reviewing, and read to find out if you were right! ;)**

**Yuki****: Bahahaha! That's hilarious! And thanks! I had never seen it done, so I gave it a try! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Fangandiggyaremine****: Poor Iggy…always getting hurt! hahaha! I'll keep looking for that leash! And thanks for reviewing! Read to find out if you were right *wink**wink***

**Karynn****: Thanks again for reviewing for the other two chapters! And you're welcome! It's totally awesome that you love my story! :D **

**Thanks to my favoriters/subscripters: NightRose131, SilverSea123 **

**Disclaimer: If owned MR I so would not have gone back to school.**

_Previously on WWF:_

"_Hmmm…well let's see…what's brown, white, speckled, and used every day by me…" She pondered this for a few moments. A dawn of comprehension showed on her face. "Is it? No, you didn't…did you?"_

"_What kind of an answer is that Max?" I asked her._

"_Well, I thought for a second that it was…"_

"…my wings." My face must have given it away. She knew she was right. "YES! One for Max!"

"I'm still winning," I smirked at her.

She frowned slightly. "Fang," she asked curiously. "Why did you spy my wings? I mean, they're ordinary, and you knew that I was bound to get it sooner or later…" *sigh* Only Max would think her wings were ordinary.

"Max, how could you think your wings are ordinary? How many other kids do you know that have wings?" Nudge was flabbergasted. I could tell because she only spoke two sentences.

"Hmm let me think…how about five other kids?" She taunted. _Haha good one Max!_

*huff* "You know what I meant!" _When will you learn that Max loves sarcasm, Nudge?_

"Yes Nudge, I know. But, to us, wings are normal! I wasn't saying that the rest of the world saw it that way, because they certainly don't!"

"Yeah, I know Max. You've told me. Never show my wings to a stranger. Never talk to a stranger. Never trust a stranger. Sometimes the only person you can trust is yourself. Never fly alone except in an emergency." _Hahaha if only Max knew how many of her rules I break! Not the trusting ones, just the protective ones. _"Never fly too low to the ground. Never fly low over a city. Never run into an airplane. Never run into a helicopter. Never fly into a cloud because you may accidentally get lost." _I still don't understand that one… _"Never let Gazzy eat beans. Never let Iggy light a fire in the woods. Never let Fang be all emo; oops, sorry Fang, that one's mine." _Why does everyone think I'm emo? As if I haven't had enough of pain in life!_

"I'm not emo." She just smirked as a response. _Really! I'm not! _"You forgot 'Never let Max cook' and 'Never wake Nudge up before 8.'" _Nudge is not a morning person…_

"OH! How could I have forgotten those! Any others Fang?"

"Billions." In any situation, Max came up with a new rule. She remembers all of them, too. Trust me, never let Max catch you breaking her rules. That doesn't mean don't break them, just don't let her catch you. I still cringe at the last time she caught me.

"Yeah that is true. Max, do you make up a new rule to fit like every occasion? I think you do. There's no way you plan these rules. I bet you just make them up on the spot. You're good at making stuff up on the spot! Like, you're a great liar! OH! You remember that time you lied to Fang about not eating his candy bar!" _What?_ "That was really funny because I saw you eat it and then I was like 'Max! You just ate Fang's secret chocolate stash! He's going to kill you!' Then, you were all like, 'Nudge! You can never tell him! Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!' and then I promised you to never tell—oops…I just told, didn't I?" She squeaked.

Glaring at her, Max replied, "Oh yeah. You did." Then she swooped over to Nudge. Nudge started screaming and dodging her. What about me, you ask? Well, I was livid. She ate my chocolate…SHE FREAKIN ATE MY CHOCOLATE! She was going down.

As Nudge dodged Max, she flew over by me. In fact, I was stuck in the middle of their fight. However, Max didn't expect me to take a side. I think she had forgotten about taking my chocolate after Nudge's blabbing. I hadn't, however. In fact, this was the perfect time for revenge.

As Max circled around me trying to get at Nudge, I grabbed her. "Ah!" Max screamed. She tried to swirl around to punch me, but I knocked her hand out of the way.

"Now Max," I whispered. I've found that whispering is much more frightening than yelling. "Why did you steal my chocolate?"

"Fang! That was years ago! You never even missed it!" She looked determined, but scared never the less. An angry Fang is not something anyone wants to deal with.

"Still, why did you eat it?" She was weakening, I could tell. _Good! Being in close proximity with Max is not helping my concentration. To make matters worse, her hair smells all flowery. _I shook my head, trying to get these thoughts out of my hair. _Revenge. Fang, you were planning revenge. _Max had noticed my momentary lapse of concentration, and she had regretfully seized the chance and spun out of my arms. A fleeting thought crossed my mind that we were dancing. _Wow…I'm going insane. _

Smirking, Max replied, "You will never know Fang." _Darn that girl!_

Nudge had been watching this episode with wide eyes. _Oh dear gosh, I hope she doesn't know what I was thinking._ My eyes widened slightly as she grinned at me. _Yeah, she knows. _"Nudge," I warned. She just giggled. Max turned to look at Nudge, and comprehension crossed her face. _Dang it! Now Max knows too! _Luckily,Max took the giggle to mean something else.

"So, Nudge. We never did get to finish our lovely game before Fang so rudely interrupted us." _Yes! She just thinks that Nudge was happy to get out of her punishment! _"What makes you think I would forget about you so easily?" Max casually asked.

Nudge shrieked and flew a bit ahead. It was a good plan, but Max expected it. However, she didn't go after her like I thought she would. Instead, she turned on me. _Darn these women! They planned this! I know they did!_

"I'll hold him Nudge! You come get him!" Max cried out to Nudge, struggling to hold me. I put up a good fight, but Max was not distracted by me as I was of her. This depressed me slightly, obviously meaning that she still did not think anything more of me than a brother. _Darn! I keep letting Max distract me!_

Nudge flew over to me and started tickling, yes tickling me. Now, I may seem like an emotionless blob sometimes, but I am still ticklish! There was no way, however, that she was going to make me laugh. She may get a slight smile out of me, but no laughing will be present! After a persistent tickling, the girl's finally gave up on the notion that I would laugh.

"Ok, guys. We need to start moving faster again. This isn't helping Angel." Being distracted by the few minutes past events, we had been flying a lot slower than what we were supposed to be doing. We would just have to pick it up now. And I know some of you are going to complain about us neglecting Angel, but sometimes things happen that you don't expect. Plus, Max needed to forget about her duties, even if it was just for a few minutes. She's going to work herself to death at this rate…

After Max reminded us about Angel's dire state, we took a more serious tone. Meaning: no talking. Obviously this didn't bother me, but it was unnerving to see Nudge's mouth closed. That should tell you how worried she was.

As for Max, one look at her face and she gave it away. I'm positive she was beating herself up for joking around for a few moments when Angel was at The School. My look on it, if we don't take some breaks, we are going to be three very gigantic mutated flying wrecks by the time we get there. And three gigantic mutated flying wrecks were not going to be able to rescue Angel. Of course, Max didn't see it this way. Every second resting for us was a second wasted. Without me, Max would probably fly the whole way without stopping or even eating. She would collapse in The School's yard, get attacked by Erasers, and no one would ever hear of her and Angel again. That was another one of my jobs; making sure Max's protective instincts did not overtake her reasoning instincts. _Speaking, well thinking really, of protective instincts, when the heck are we going to stop and eat?_

**A/N: I know I don't deserve it, but please could you review?**


	16. I Write Poetry

**Reviews make the world go 'round! Thanks for giving me so many! I'll say it again, y'all are amazing! This chapter's dedicated to Talkstoangels77 for catching some of the stupidest mistakes I have ever made and to Spike for all the reviews he/she submitted! Thanks y'all! **

**Spike****: Thanks for all the reviews you submitted! I loved opening my email and seeing "downloading 7 new messages!" That completely made my day!**

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**Yuki****: hahaha thanks! I love chocolate too! And that's awesome that your bro went to Greece! My cousin went to Greece and brought me back this really pretty doll! (I collect dolls from countries.) Also, congrats on being the 70****th**** reviewer and my one reviewer that has stuck with me this far! **

**TeamFangCuzEdwardIsGross****: Thanks for the amazing cookies! They were soooo good! Also thanks for your wonderful review! I try to add Fax where I can, but obviously I can't make it too big since this is the first book. :D**

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**XXForrestStarXX****: Yeah, little oblivious Max…**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own MR nor shall I ever.**

_Flying is great, so is cake. I love cake, but Max can't bake. She also hates snakes. And…lakes? Oh this is hopeless…_

Yes, I, Fang, had retorted to poetry. This is what happens when one's brain is fried from flying on an empty stomach. To those of you laughing at my failed attempt, well, you try it sometime. I'm an avian human hybrid that needs close to 3000 calories a day, and I have barely gotten 300. It's bad. And I'm hungry! I know Max has to be hungry, too! I mean, she ate less than me, is worrying herself to death, and is using up way more extra energy by pumping her wings instead of gliding them. There is no freakin way she is not hungry! _Ok, well back to my poetry…_

_Food is good. Food is great. How I'd thank you if you'd bake me a steak._

So it's definitely not Shakespeare, but you have to admit for a mutant with no schooling, that was pretty good! _Now for a new one…_

Nudge interrupted my thoughts with her usual cry of hungriness. _Thank you Nudge! I probably would have gone insane if I kept that up! _

"Max? I'm starving!" Nudge cried for the hundredth time in the past hour. Max had been steadily ignoring her; however she had been more hesitant as the minutes had passed. Obviously, Max just didn't want to admit she was hungry. I have a feeling she would give in soon because of Nudge. Max is not the kind of person who would let someone starve to save her own pride.

"Okay, okay. We need food." _Wow Max, great conclusion. At least you're finally letting us have some. _"Fang! Any ideas?" _Oh yeah, call on me. Thanks Max. _

_Ok, well there are lots of places to get food. A) We can raid a store. I'd rather not do that, though. B) We can raid a dumpster. Well, that one doesn't involve stealing, but the food in it would be moldy. Non-moldy food would be nice. C) We can kill a few rats or squirrels. No, we don't have time for that. Angel's counting on us. D) We could…we could…OH! _I looked to Max, both of us thinking the same thing.

"Ski slopes." Max concluded. I nodded. _They will have non-spoiled food, although it won't be fresh. We could also have a minutes to rest of we needed. _"Summertime. Empty vacation houses." _Yeah, that's our best bet for a nice meal._

"Would they have food?" I could practically see Nudge drooling over her soon to be meal. No doubt she's imagining a feast. _Well, she's going to be sourly disappointed. Then again, I doubt Nudge would turn away any food right now…even desert rat. Hmm…I'll have to try that sometime…_

Max was also anxious to eat. "Let's find out." She started circling around the mountain, avoiding the towns. We needed to find the sparsely built houses that were weekend retreats for families. As Max looked for our perfect meal house, I glanced around through the windows of the occupied cabins. In one, I saw a little girl, about Angel's age, packing up her suitcase. From the look on her face, she was not happy to be going home. _I wish she knows how much she should be thankful for a comfortable house…that's a luxury we grew up without._

I glanced over at Max, wondering if she was having any luck. It appeared as if she had found a potential safe haven. The cabin she was investigating appeared empty; there were no lights on, no cars near, and no smoke from the chimney. _I think we're good…food here we come!_

Max slowly banked and tucked her wings in slightly. _Prepare for landing!_ Wow…I need food.

She landed a couple of hundred yards away, and I followed. As usual, my legs felt all rubbery. You know, like the feeling you get if you've been jumping on a trampoline too long or if you've been out on a boat and you get back on land? Sort of like that. I folded my wings in close to my back. They were quite warm, although compared to being about 3000 feet in the air with the wind whipping around you, it was pretty warm back on the ground.

We slowly crept through the woods, even though my stomach was telling me to forget all senses of precaution and just run to that food. Luckily, my powers of reason were stronger than my hunger for now. Taking care not to step on any sticks, we approached the cabin. With the state it was in, you could tell it had been vacated for the season. Max gave Nudge a thumbs-up to tell her food was close, and Nudge just smiled. Amazingly, she didn't talk. I think the hunger was getting to all of us. I was reciting poems, Nudge wasn't talking, and Max…well, I'm not sure what Max was doing that was abnormal. Who knows, she could be talking to herself in her head or something.

Max peered through the window, taking in the situation. From the relief on her face I could tell there were no alarm systems or dogs or anything that would cause us trouble. She took out her pocketknife, a Christmas gift from the Flock a few years ago. It was my idea to give it to her, and I picked it out. Gazzy and Angel were just too young to get her anything, and we didn't have a lot of money so we just put all our names on it. She really liked it, and I figured that she knew it was my idea because it was black. Anyone else would have gotten her some other color, but I wanted it to remind her of me every time she used it. Anyways, she used it to slit the window screen enough to unlatch the window. After carefully lifting the screen and placing it against the house, she looked at me to help her open it.

The wood had swollen because of the temperature change, which was good for the cabin owners (regular humans wouldn't have been able to open it) but bad for us. We had to jiggle the wooden frame for almost five minutes for it to open. It was extremely annoying that we had come all this way only to be stopped by a wooden window frame. Nevertheless, it did eventually open, and I slowly crept through it to check out the insides. After seeing nothing potentially threatening, I waved Nudge through who was closely followed by Max.

Dust covered the cabin's insides; more proof, as if we needed any more, that the cabin was empty. Max ventured into the kitchen, heading for the cabinets. I looked into the pantry and had just found a few sodas when Max yelled, "Bingo!" I turned to see her holding up a can of soup. _I hope there's more than just one can. _"Oh, yeah, pay dirt woo-hoo!" Wow she was excited. Now, don't get me wrong I was exceedingly pleased that we had found food, but Max was now doing a little dance around the kitchen. Ok, this is what starvation does to us: Max does crazy dances, Nudge stops talking, and I write poetry. Yeah, I know we're weird. Get over it. "We're golden!" She pulled out more soup, some beans, fruit, and even condensed milk. Eew. That stuff is disgusting.

I added my orange sodas to the pill and Nudge had found some utensils for us to us. No point in eating like savages in here, right? Needless to say, we gorged ourselves. I had three cans of soup, a can of beans _(Thank gosh Gazzy isn't here)_, two _sodas (I would have had more but those things taste nasty when hot)_, and four cans of fruit. Max had nearly as much as me, and Nudge may have had more. I'm honestly not sure; we were eating so fast it was hard to keep track of who was eating what and how much of it. I just know that Nudge ate most of the fruit. Believe it or not, we did not eat everything in the house. I hid some, planning to take it with me when we left. _Max is not going to let you take those, Fang. They're too heavy. She's going to say they will weigh you down._ Max can get over it. This stuff is good, and I plan on taking some of it so we don't starve in the near future. I would rather not steal or kill to eat when carrying a few slightly heavy cans is the other option.

So, after eating our fill of the goodies in the house, we were laid out on the couches. These _things smell kind of…musty. I don't like it._ Ah well. We were all tired from our full stomachs and the long day's flight we had. I really wasn't looking forward to continuing the grueling journey to the School; however, if that's what it took to save Angel I would do it. Maybe after a little rest…

"Uhhnnhh," Nudge moaned. I think she ate way too much. "I feel like, like concrete." Yeah, she ate too much. That's not good; how does one fly while feeling like concrete? The last time I checked, concrete was too heavy to fly.

Therefore, the only conclusion I could come up with was to rest for a few, then go back to flying. "Let's take ten, rest a bit." That should give us enough time to digest. I leaned back against the couch, sinking into its comfy-ness. "Digest a minute, we'll feel better." It's just a few minutes anyways; it shouldn't make that big of a difference. We'll start flying in a few…*yawn*

"I second that motion," Max sleepily replied. She was fighting to keep her eyes open, as was I. _Fang, you should take watch, make sure no one oversleeps. _Oh, give it a rest. We'll only be a few minutes. _Don't worry Angel, we won't forget about you!_

**A/N: Ok, what'd you think? I finally went back to the book's chapters. Quick question: do you like mine or the book's chapters better? I'm just trying to see if I should include more of my own or stick strictly to the book. Please update and let me know!**


	17. The School

**Salut! Thanks for the great reviews! This chapter is for Kari who completely made my day with her many reviews! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Everyone is amazing!**

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**Bacon****: Thanks! Haha The pocket knife was that I figured Fang would get her something useful, and Max would definitely use that! Sorry about the errors…I try to keep them to a minimum but a few slip past my editing! I'm also honored to be Favoriter # 10! :D **

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride…Fang would have gotten together with Max waaay before the 5****th**** book if I did!**

I groggily opened my eyes_. Man, I had a nice sleep! It felt great! I hadn't slept that good since…I was back at the school, and they drugged me. In fact, that's the only time I got a good sleep…no. I wasn't. I am not back there. _I opened my eyes, now fully awake. _Where am I?_ Then, I smelled it…

The School. I was back. _No, this cannot be happening! I am not back, I am not back, I am not back! _

Panicking, I peered around, desperately hoping not to see what I thought I would: stacks of cages, all with different experiments in them. I then noticed that I was in a dog crate. _Hmm, well at least they gave me an extra large. I mean, if they are going to torture us, at least I can sit in a comfortable crate…yeah right. _Just then, I noticed the absence of the Flock. Wait…where are they? Did they escape? Oh please let them not be here!

_Calm down Fang. Look around you. Is there any way out? _I looked at the lock on my cage. _Ah, it is computerized. Well, a computer can be broken or hacked, but neither can I do at the moment. I can't break it, because I am inside the cage, and I can't hack it because I don't know how. Technology is not my strong suit..._

Ok, so I couldn't get out of the cage. _Now, let's say that I am out of the cage. I defeat the Erasers *shudder* that come in to take me for experimentation, and I escape that way. Exit number one (the window): blocked by metal bars. Exit number two (the door): locked and made of metal. My best bet is take the door and hope I can find my way out…_

Just then, the door opened. I braced myself, ready for the hoard of Erasers that had come to lead me to experimentation. Therefore, I was shocked when a scientist came in wheeling a bloody and disheveled bird kid—Nudge!

The scientist, accompanied by an Eraser, pranced over to my cage. Yes, I did say pranced. That's how she walked. "So experiment 00751, are you ready for your experiment? We have already taken care of experiment 02953," she said, looking triumphantly at Nudge. I gave her my worst death glare I could muster. She quickly retreated, than, as if gathering courage, took a small step forward. "Now, you must behave. We already have experiment 04785 in custody."_ We were right! They did take Angel here!_ **Angel? Can you hear me? Angel! **I got no reply.

"Oh I wouldn't bother trying to reach her. We have—disconnected her mind skills for right now." _They did what? Disconnected her mind skills? How the heck did they do that?_ My glare intensified, if that was possible. If looks could kill, she would be dead and buried under about 30 feet of dirt right now. Now she really did look terrified. Rushing out of the room gesturing to the Eraser to follow, she yelled back at me, "We'll be back! You haven't seen the last of me yet!" _Wow how cliché is that?_

I heard a slight gasp of pain. Nudge. "Nudge," I whispered. She moaned. "Nudge, wake up!" She slowly lifted her head.

"Fang," I heard her faintly reply.

"Nudge! You ok?" She certainly did not look ok. I hope nothing was broken. I wasn't close enough to set it, so she would have to do it herself.

"My leg! Oh Fang, my leg is hurting so bad! I think…I think I broke it!" Great. She was not going to enjoy this.

"What'd they do?" I had to find out how they had tortured her. That could help explain her injuries, alerting me to any more she may have. Also, I was next, and I needed to know what to expect.

"Well, I remember being hooked up to all these different machines…then they injected me with this stuff, and it burned! I felt like I was on fire! I must have passed out, because the next thing I remember is being stuck in this cage. But, I was by Angel! She looked horrible, covered in all these different bruises! She told me the whitecoats had done something to her that messed up her mind reading! I didn't even know that was possible! Did you?" I shook my head, pondering how they could have done this.

"They didn't mess with her brain, did they?" I inquired fearfully.

"Not that I know of…she seemed fine, except for the usual scars. Anyway, then after about 3 hours, I was taken to the arena…" Here, she paused. I just stared at her, horrified. They took Nudge to the arena? "They had me fight three Erasers. I managed to kill two of them, but the other one  
wasn't so easy to kill." She gestured to her broken leg. "He beat me up pretty bad, but I think I managed to kill him before I passed out." I still can't believe they took her to the arena! Max and I never fought alone there. We always at least had each other if we were going up against Erasers. Max…oh gosh I hope she's not in this place! However, the prospect was looking pretty grim. They had me, Angel, and Nudge; who's to say they didn't have Max too?

_Focus Fang. You need to get Nudge to set her leg. _"Ok Nudge. This is going to hurt like heck. Do you think you're strong enough to set your own leg? If you're not, I'm afraid that it will heal wrong, and we'll have to rebreak it later."

She took a deep breath and thought about it for a second. "I think I can do it," she whispered.

"Follow exactly what I say. It's going to be ok." _I'm glad Jeb made us learn everything about first aid back at the house._ "Ok, can you move your leg at all so I can see it?" She slowly moved her leg, trying not to jostle it. Breathing heavily, she attempted to stretch her leg out.

*Gasp* Her leg was definitely broken. Her tibia was slightly deformed, and there was a slight bump directly below her knee. "Nudge. I want you to rip part of your shirt off to bandage it afterwards." *Riiiipp* Once she had a long piece in her hand, I continued. "Place that under your leg. Now, take your hands and put one on top and the other underneath. When you're ready, press the top portion to line it up with the rest of your leg. Make sure to wrap it tight in the bandage." She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and pressed her leg together.

An earsplitting shriek filed the air, followed by whimpering. Tears cascading down her face, she looked over to me for approval. Her leg was straight and tightly bandaged. Nodding, I whispered, "Good job Nudge. That was extremely brave." Still in excruciating pain, she leaned against the back of the cage.

"I'm going to try to rest…if I can even fall asleep right now," she murmured. Seconds later, her light breathing was the only sound in the room. I attempted to sleep, too, knowing that I would need it later. It just didn't come to me as easily as it did to Nudge. I was wound up, tensely waiting for an Eraser to barge in and yank me out of the cage.

_Just my luck._ The door opened, followed by the sound of heels clicking on the metal floor. This time, she was accompanied not only by a vicious Eraser but also by a fellow whitecoat rolling a crate with a small blond winged-figure in it. "Experiment 04785 has been extremely unruly. Therefore, we have decided that the best cure for this behavior is a nice little punishment. We would hate for you two to lose the oppurtinity of watching her, though." _They are going to make us watch Angel get punished?_ "Pick them up." The Eraser picked my crate up and threw it onto the rolling table. Jarring my head, I landed with a crash. Then, Nudge's cage sailed towards me. _This is not good._ I barely had time to brace myself before it collided with me. Flying towards the wall, I heard Nudge screaming her lungs off; her leg must have been hit as she fell.

Immune to our discomfort, the whitecoat slowly pushed the table out through the doors and into the hall. _This is when I wish Max was here…she would be throwing insults left and right at the scientists. _As we passed the observation windows positioned in the hall, I peered into them, looking at the various experiments. It was sick what these scientists did to these kids. I saw one kid who was half horse and half human. Apparently they were going for the centaur look, but it didn't work. He had a mane and fur covering his body, but he still had the appearance of a human. Neighing, he cantered around the room, trying to avoid the assortment of Erasers and cheetah hybrids chasing him. Just as we went out of sight of the window, I heard bone crunching and frantic neighing, slowly weakening as it was eaten alive. Gagging, I quickly focused my thoughts on something other than the horse boy's fate.

The next window I didn't even look, not wanting a repeat of the last one. However, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a streak of dirty blond hair. _Max?_ I whipped my head up and gazed anxiously into the room. My heart leaped when her eyes met mine. "Max." I whispered her name. Her eyes were filled with horror as she saw us, stuffed in crates and being rolled to our doom. However, the whitecoat stopped in front of her door. As she stepped inside, I tried to get Angel's and Nudge's attention. Angel's eyes were shinning with unshed tears, but as she saw Max, they filled with an unspoken hope. Nudge was unconscious in her crate.

I glanced back to Max to see her being unceremoniously thrown towards our crates. _Not again. _As she slammed into my crate, she slipped her hand through the bars and gave my hand a quick squeeze before retracting it. My heart filled with hope. _At least we're together. Hopefully Gazzy and Ig are still back at the house._

"Ok, I think that is everyone. Experiments 00751 and 04785 are to be taken to the arena. Experiments 00596 and 02953 shall be forced to watch as warnings for their actions_." Well, now I know what I'm doing…the arena won't be that bad for me, but for Angel? She'll be lucky to get out of there…_

With this heavy thought on my mind, Max decided she had remained silent for long enough. "So, you're just going to make me watch? After all those threats you gave me? That's disappointing. The last time we were here we would have at least gotten punished for it. This place is slipping…the service isn't as bad as it used to be." She smirked as the scientists stiffened.

"Experiment 00596, I am only going to ask you to remain silent once. Do not speak again."

"Why all these numbers? I know you know my name. Heck, I'm the Great Maximum Ride! This experiment 00596 stuff is very downgrading. You expect us to do brilliant things, yet you won't even call us by our names? That is quite unsatisfactory…"

"I have already commanded you to remain silent! You do not want to make me angry!"

"Oooo I'm so scared of the angry whitecoat in the six inch heels! Because I'm sure your choice of shoes helps your fighting! I mean, when I want to go and spar Fang I definitely wear my heels! They are the height of fashion nowadays! Just look in all the street fighting magazines! By the way, nobody commands the Great Maximum Ride. I do what I want, when I want, as I—" Just then, the whipped out a gun hidden inside her lab coat and placed it cooly next to Angel's head.

"I will not hesitate to shoot her if you do not shut up RIGHT NOW!" That shut Max up. We all held our breath as she put the gun back in her coat. _Who's to say she won't just shoot Angel anyways? _

"Ok, we are here. Now I have decided that instead of Experiment 02593 fighting, it will be Experiment 00596 and 00751. A fight to the death will hopefully be sufficient enough to get the message across." She smirked, knowing how much her message had startled us. _A fight to the death with Max? I won't do it. There is no way I could live without her. She is the one thing that keeps me going…_

Max stared at me, horrified. I calmly looked into her eyes, knowing that I would not have many more chances.

She deposited our cages on the sand covered floor of the arena. Then, the other whitecoat took Nudge's and Angel's cages to an observation deck. They were crying silently, looking back and forth between us. I'm sure they were wondering which of us would come out of it alive.

"Well, you heard me earlier. I will let you two out of your cages and one of you has to kill the other. Otherwise, we shall kill you both with the addition of the other two upstairs. I suggest you at least make it worthwhile watching. Some other scientists shall be grading you on your performance." _Performance? What was this, some kind of show to them? 'Oh yes, experiment 00751 did some particularly good sparring. Too bad he died. Oh well, I rate him a 6 for convincing participation…' What kind of sick beasts are they?_

She left the arena, sending in an Eraser to unlock our cages. As mine was unlocked, I stepped out and stretched. Sitting in that cramped position for long periods of time was discomforting. Max did the same as she emerged. Then she stepped over to me.

"Fang, we can't do this. I won't fight you." _*sigh* Why did she have to make this so difficult?_

"Max," I whispered. "They will kill all of us if we don't do this. Just kill me. I don't care. Life without wouldn't be worth living." I had resigned to my fate.

"No! Fang? What are you talking about? I can't kill you!" Tears started pouring down her face. _Oh Max…my Max._

"Max, I love you. I have always loved you."

She was shocked. "Fang, don't do this! Don't make me do this! I...I love you too. I can't kill you!" She said it. She actually told me she loved me back. At least before my death I was able to hear those words come from her sweet lips. Next, she did something completely unexpected. She pulled my face close to hers, and kissed me!

My thoughts were filled with her, her cracked lips on mine, one hand on the small of her back and the other in her hair. I was kissing Max, I was actually kissing her! And she was kissing me back! This was heaven!

*BANG* I shot up, my heart racing. What? Where am I? Did they shoot someone? I looked around me and saw Max on the ground of what appeared to be a cabin. Nudge was sleeping soundly in a recliner. What the heck? OH…it was a dream…just a dream.

**A/N: So, there's a little Fax for you. Please tell me what you thought in a review! You know you want to! **


	18. Author's Note

**Dear Lovely Readers,**

**No, I have not died. Neither have I been taken to prison, nor sentenced to a mental institution. I have simply had soooooooo much homework these past few weeks. It is getting easier to manage, but for now you will simply have to bear with me as I try and update as soon as I can! Alas, I am going out of town this weekend. (My family is one of those really crazy ones that just HAS to take a trip every time there is a 3 day weekend!) Nevertheless, I shall write the chapter on my 8 hour drive, and update when I can when I get back. I AM VERY SORRY! I AM NOT GOING TO DESERTE THIS STORY! I SHALL CONTINUE!**

**Thank you, and that is all. May everyone have a wonderful day/night!**

**~Ray**


	19. I Promise

**Ok guys, go ahead and kill me like I know you want to…or torture, because I believe that would be more appealing. I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY THAT IT HAS TKAEN ME LIKE A MONTH TO UPDATE ONE SIMPLE CHAPTER! However, it is now up, and this chapter is dedicated to my 100****th**** reviewer Yuki! I can't believe I even made it this far! A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed this story! You guys are my inspiration!**

**Yuki****: Bahaha thanks! Also, thanks for sticking with me for this long…my 1****st**** and 100****th**** reviewer! Amazing! Hahaha I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter! I thought I did pretty good…I had to add the little part at the end otherwise people would be freakin out, thinking I killed Fang. But anyways, thanks for all your amazing reviews and support!**

**szynkaiboczek****: Thanks for reviewing! Also, thanks for catching that mistake…although I believe Angel could talk in their minds, just not control them. However, I may be wrong. So, thanks again!**

**A$h****: Thanks! I really enjoyed writing the last chapter! All the Fax and suspense and such… **

**XXForrestStarXX****: Yeah, if I had that dream I'm not sure how I would classify it…a little of both. I think mostly bad though! Thanks for reviewing!**

**World of New****: Thank you so much! I know; I love Fax stories too! My school is the same way…no one knows of the most amazing books in the world! Thanks for loving my story so much; however, if one could marry it, I'm afraid he's already taken! ;) hahaha!**

**WingedJay13****: Thanks for reviewing and the advice! I'm trying to make the chapters longer, but the book chapters are very short. Also, I have very little free time to extend them. I'll try my best, though!**

**Karynn****: Thanks! Haha yeah don't worry; I'm keeping the story the same. I just wanted to freak people out a little! (I know, I'm mean!) **

**Fandandiggyaremine****: Oh my gosh I love the Hunger Games! It is one of the most amazing book series ever! I finished Mockingjay the other day! I loved it! **

**Nicoletaylor****: hahaha I'm trying! :D**

**Thanks to my favoriters/subscripters: World Of New, Sweevil to the Heart, MyDarkHeart, ElanaLovesFangAndJacobBlack,**

**Disclaimer: I own the world! Not…one can dream though…**

Part of me could not help but be disappointed. I only dreamed of Max kissing me…it wasn't real. The other part was glad that everyone was still alive, me included.

Max was rushing around the room, screaming for Nudge to get her butt up. I silently swung my feet off the sofa and looked outside. It was dark…we had slept that long? "What time is it?" I inquired, silently asking Max to calm down.

"Almost morning! OF THE NEXT DAY!" Well that sucks…I knew I should have stayed up and taken watch! We just wasted hours we could have been flying trying to get to Angel. _Wait—Fang, you told yourself that you would have to rest! This was probably for the best. At least we would be well rested for Angel's rescue…_

I started for the kitchen, looking for supplies to take with us. _Ok, what do we need? FOOD! And…first aid stuff. I'm sure I can find it fairly quickly. _I found an obsolete, moldy backpack while scanning through the closets, looking for bandages and such. Well, I lucked out in the carrier department, but not in the medical department. _Ah…the irony. Now, for food. _I swiftly stalked to the food portion of the kitchen. _Tuna. Tuna's good. We can eat that. And…crackers!_ There was a huge box of trail mix, so I found some Ziploc-bags and filled multiple ones with the trail mix.

Let me tell you: that stuff can fill up a bird kid much better than crackers. I started stacking the bags and cans into the backpack, silently cursing myself for over packing. This bad was going to get awfully heavy about 20 minutes into our flight. Well, it will get lighter since it's filled with food. Plus, we can't exactly perform a satisfactory rescue on an empty stomach, as I'm sure I have mentioned before.

Max was attempting to rouse Nudge. "Get up! We need to hurry up and go!"

"Wha's happ'nin'?" Nudge groggily replied, waking too slow for Max's patience.

"We fell asleep!" Max shrieked at her. _Wow…I didn't realize her voice could reach such high pitches_. I momentarily went deaf therefore losing track of the conversation. I'm almost positive Max was simply yelling at us for being so slow.

She was hastily scanning the room for her shoes. Finally remembering, she peered beneath the couch. Dragging them out from the field of dust bunnies, she thoughtfully blew the dust towards Nudge, covering her from head to toe. Sneezing repeatedly, Nudge jumped up off the chair and retrieved her shoes. Max, of course, took no notice of Nudge's sneeze attack.

Catching sight of my bag, she exclaimed, "Fang! You can't carry all that! It'll weigh you down. Nothing's heavier than cans." Haha that's what I was just telling myself!

I shrugged, indifferent to my future weariness. Sure, the negatives were big, but the positives definitely outweigh them. _If carrying this backpack means keeping Max and Nudge fed, then I'll do it. _

I figured it was time to head out. Knowing Max would be on my tail, I quietly slipped out the window. Opening my wings, I took a little running start and leapt into the air, pumping hard.

BANG! I suddenly became aware of the extremely hard ground pressing on my wings. _What the—? _Slightly stunned, I checked my surroundings, half expecting to see a hoard of Eraser's coming to attack me and the Flock. After seeing no suspicious activity in the surrounding area, I was slightly perplexed.

_Oh…you're such an idiot! It's the backpack! _I had forgotten about the extra weight I was carrying. It prevented me from having an easy takeoff. _Darn Max for being right!_

Quickly checking the window, I let out a sigh of relief. Max had not witnessed my failed flight attempt. She would have never let me forget it if she had been watching, especially after she specifically told me the bag would be too heavy to fly with.

_Now, how was I supposed to fly? _I had to figure something out; letting Max know she was right was NOT an option. Maybe if I just took a longer running start I could get into the air…

My thoughts were interrupted as I was almost decapitated—by a bird kid! "Whoa!" I questioningly looked at Nudge for the answer of why she suddenly flew at my head with intentions to kill me. _Wait—what if she isn't Nudge? Those sick scientists surely have mastered the ability to clone by now…what if they sent this Nudge look-alike to kill me while I was off my guard? _I quickly went into a fighting stance, expecting to be attacked by my apparent family member.

Nudge just looked at me strangely…_I guess that answers that question_. To further my decision, she opened her mouth. _Oh no. Here it comes._

However, I was saved from a torturous death by words by Max! _You are my savior!_ I then remembered my problematic flight pattern. _Forget it. She's going to laugh at me as soon as I takeoff; or, more accurately, fail to takeoff. _

For all you guys asking the obvious question of why I didn't simply empty the backpack of some of its provisions, I ask you: Would you really do that in front of the one person who doubted you? I would much rather hurting my pride by taking off than admitting Max was right. Also, I think she would kill me for stopping.

"Come on guys!" See what I mean? To stop now would guarantee a death by Max, or at least pain. I doubt she would kill me, as she would need my help in rescuing Angel. Although when Max gets livid, she does not usually stop to think. So, she would probably kill me and then regret it. Therefore, I was not stopping to empty my bag.

Racing down the road, gravel flying into the air as she kicked her feet, Max took to the sky, powerfully moving her wings. The sight of her took my breath away…she was just so stunning. Her hair flying in the wind, her speckled wings shinning in the morning light, it was a sight to behold.

Nudge laughed and ran off to get into the air. This pulled me out of my Max stupor. I raced after her, running further than necessary. Jumping into the air, I held my breath. _Am I going to make it? YES! I AM FLYING! I guess the longer run did the trick._

I glanced back at our haven for the night and caught sight of the cabin I had seen the little girl at who reminded me of Angel. _I hope she made it back to her home ok._

Max whispered, so faint I could barely hear it above the wind whistling through my ears, "Sorry Angel. Sorry, sorry, sorry, my baby." It was times like this that Max appeared even more beautiful in my eyes. She was willing to give so much to her family. _Someday, I promise…_I let the wind finish my wish for a better future. _Someday, I promise…_

**A/N: I also dedicate this chapter to all the families who lost someone in 9/11. We will always remember you. **


	20. Cloud Glaring

**Well, I didn't get as many reviews as I had hoped. I promise I'm not deserting this story. It's just taking me a long time to update. Please stick with me! I love all you guys who did review! And I'm sorry! Btw, next week is my fall break, so expect chapter updates then! :D**

**Lacey-The-Invisible-Ninja****: Oh wow…how could she? MR is the most amazing series ever! Ah well, some people just don't appreciate great literature when they see it! =) Hahaha and thanks for reviewing! **

**A$H****: Thanks! I'm trying to add a bit more to satisfy all the Fax people out there (myself included!)!**

**Saima****: Thank you! **

**Kaleigh****: Thank you so much! I try my best, but my friends are sooo much better at writing than I am. I do think I'm getting better though! :D**

**Yuki****: Haha yeah sorry it took so long. Thanks for reviewing! I hope you do well in all your classes! And Mockingjay was great! **

**Thanks to all my subscripters/favoriters: alligatorink**

**Disclaimer: Ok, let me tell you something…I…do…not…own…Maximum Ride. Kapesh? **

We were back in the sky, and man did it feel good. We never grew up in a home, since an evil science lab most definitely does not count as one, but the sky was always considered the one place of freedom. Occasionally the whitecoats required stats on how fast we could fly and such, so we would be allowed to fly, but otherwise we were never allowed to fly in the sky. Well, sometimes the younger ones could, since the evil sickos knew they would not survive long on their own if they escaped. Max, Iggy, and me never caught a true whiff of fresh air until Jeb freed us; we just toughed it out. After our escape, we lived like kings and queens, with almost as much freedom as we could desire. The only downfall was Jeb…yeah, as much as I miss him, he was always way too protective. The way he talked, he expected us to be snatched out of the sky by the whitecoats as soon as we got out of our allotted 100 meter diameter of the house. I never followed that rule, of course.

Max was a different story. Max's ultimate role model was Jeb; I think at times she even wished that he was her dad. Whenever I suggested we go for a flight in the woods, she would never allow us to exceed "Jeb's diameter." I think I only got her out once, but you don't want to know what happened when she found out I had tricked her…I can still feel the pain of her punishment. Luckily Jeb never found out I went out-of-bounds. He probably would have taken away my flying rights, and then things would have gotten ugly. Trust me on this: NEVER try to tell a bird-kid that he/she is not allowed to fly. The whitecoats did it for most of our life, and if we had a choice, they would all be dead.

I heard a sigh from Max that pulled me out of my rant on flying. Glancing at her face, the worry lines were more present than usual. Yeah, you heard me…than usual. I honestly do not remember a time when Max did not worry about us. Even when I first met her, she anxiously asked me what had happened (I was covered in Eraser blood). She started yelling at me when I wouldn't answer her, me being the silent bird kid I am. I also never trust strangers, and at the time, Max would have definitely qualified as a stranger. Of course there are some things that being in the next-door cage can fix overtime…

Max kept earnestly pumping her wings, forgetting that she would use up more energy that way. Every time I almost told her to stop, she would remember and coast, only to start again as soon as her anxiety took over. I wanted to help her, but at the moment she just looked as if she needed a good rant to herself. She wouldn't stop glaring at the clouds, as if it was their fault we had overslept. Finally deciding that Max had to quite her worrying, I swooped down next to her.

"We had to rest," I bluntly pointed out to her. _Plus, I promised Angel we would stop so we could rescue her on the first attempt._

"For ten hours?" She exclaimed as she glared at me, momentarily forgetting her anger at the clouds.

I sighed. Sometimes Max just did not understand reason. "Today we've got another four hours to go, maybe a bit more. We couldn't have done it in one shot. It was late when we left. We're going to have to stop again anyway, right before we get there, and refuel." Max bit her lip, searching her mind for a comeback. However, Max underestimated the power of logic.

Not thinking of any other good reason why we did not need sleep, she resumed her cloud glaring. It was almost like a game: let's see how long Max can go without blinking while starting at clouds.

Nudge, who surprisingly had remained quiet, softly whispered to me, "Fang, what is she doing?" She glanced uneasily at Max.

I shrugged, not really sure myself. "Glaring," I guessed.

"Huh? What is she glaring at? Is it the clouds? Did the clouds upset Max? But what could clouds do to get on Max's nerves? Oh, well I guess anything can get on Max's nerves. Or is it one of us? Is she mad at me for not waking up right away? She knows I'm not a morning person! Oh Fang! Tell her I'm sorry! I didn't mean to not wake up! I thought all this was just a nightmare, and that she was simply telling me to get up, and I would be back in my bedroom with Angel in her corner. I even imagined that Iggy was making eggs again! And French toast! I could smell the eggs, then I completely woke up and everything rushed back to me and I tried to hurry as fast as I could! I didn't mean to! Please Fang, apologize for me if Max is ignoring me!" It was times like this that I was amazed at Nudge's imagination.

"Nudge, she's not mad at you." I tried to relieve her fears.

"OH! That's a relief! Well then, why is she glaring? Is she mad at you? Did you two have a fight? Did she catch you staring at her?" That last question startled me a little. _Nudge noticed I stared at Max_? I tried not to do it, just in case Max did catch me, but sometimes she was just so beautiful, I couldn't resist. I heard giggling and glanced at Nudge. She was laughing at me; evidently I didn't hide my expression as good as I usually do. "So is that the reason? 'Cuz I think it's cute!" She beamed at me. _Now how can I escape this?_

I decided the best way to prove that Nudge was wrong was to talk to Max. "We going to storm the place or what?" I was a bit curious as to what she was planning; that is, if she had a plan.

"Yeah, Max, I was wondering what your plan was." Nudge obviously did not want to be left out of the conversation. "I mean, there are only three of us, and a whole bunch of them. And the Erasers have guns. Could we, like, drive a truck through the gates? Or even into a building? Or maybe we could wait till nightfall, sneak in, and sneak out with Angel before anyone notices us." She thought this was the best idea anyone could ever come up with. I could tell Max didn't have the heart to wipe the smile off her face, but I knew that the chances of us accomplishing that were extremely slim. Max still didn't tell us her plan. Therefore, I could conclude that she had none. _Well, I'd better start thinking of something._

She did look a little too confident, though. This made me think of another possibility that Max would be willing to do for her family: offer herself up. I just hoped we could come up with a better one, because as soon as Max sets her mind to something, she's too darn stubborn to change it. I knew one thing though; there was no way Max was staying in that building. I would see Max out and away from the whitecoats, even if it cost me my life.

**A/N: So even though you most likely want to kill me for the long wait, could you please review? **


	21. Rabbit Syndrome

**Ok, from now on, I'm not promising any updates because I have learned that things can ALWYS get in the way of your updating time…also, HAS ANYONE READ THE LOST HERO BY RICK RIODAN? I JUST FINISHED IT AND I LOVED IT! I can't freakin wait for the next one! Hahaha sorry I'm a HUGE Percy Jackson fan, along with MR and HP!**

**Yuki****: Thanks for reviewing! I tried to update quicker this time! **

**A$H****: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoy the tidbits I add in…they're fun to write!**

**Lacey****: Thanks for reviewing! See? One update down, lots more to go…**

We were still flying. I was surprised that Nudge hadn't asked the all famous "Are we there yet?" question. We had to be getting close; maybe not extremely close, but still over halfway. The landscape had changed…again. Now it was farm fields, creating a green and brown checkerboard effect. It was pretty cool to watch all the colors rushing by, but this environment got old fast. _How many different ways can you look at this landscape? Oh I know, ONE. Please let us hit the mountains, or desert, or ANYTHING!_

When Nudge opened her mouth, I expected the question, but was surprised to hear a different one come out. "Gosh I wonder what Iggy and the Gasman are doing now!"_ Most likely hating Max's guts, blowing something up, getting in trouble, and then flying to the lake like I told them to do. Either that or they're still hating Max's guts, blowing something up, getting themselves killed, and already dead. _I tried not to think of the last option. _What if they don't show up at the lake? WWMD? (What would Max do?) Well, she would probably go and kill their sorry butts for disobeying her, but I really don't think that will help. Nah, they're fine. They know their explosives. If anyone can blow up an entire mass of Erasers and live to tell about it, it's Gazzy and Iggy. _"Maybe they got the TV working again." _Yeah right. The TV has probably been used for one of their projects, along with anything of Max's that is usable. Who am I kidding; they hoarded her room and used EVERYTHING. They better not have touched my stuff! Nudge is gonna kill them when we get back and all her clothes are gone. _"I hope they don't feel too bad." _Psh they want to kill Max, not to mention torture the rest of us for going along with the plan._ "I would have—I mean, I guess it's kind of easier for them to be at home_." Easier and better are not the same things. I bet they would give anything to be with us right now._ "But I bet they're not cleaning up or getting wood or doing any of their chores." _Those are probably the last things on their minds right now._

Max remained silent, which was strange, even for her. _No retort? No hastily said comeback that she will later regret? What's with her?_ Her eyes were sweeping the landscape, which had once again changed. Now we were over an area of suburbs. I glanced down to see where she was glancing almost wistfully. _What is she looking at? Oh… _I caught a glimpse of some kids about our age slouching off to school. Looking back at Max, I wondered how much she really dreamed of a normal life. I mean, all of us wanted it at one time or another, but flying with no supervision usually outdid going to school and doing homework 24/7.

Max was different. She was our mom, as weird as that sounded. I didn't think of her as such (that would just be gross) but the younger kids really looked up to her, especially Angel. Heck, Max raised Angel. I'm pretty sure she thought of her as her daughter, even if she…you know…never _had_ her.

Ok, back to original subject. With all the responsibility thrust on her shoulders, Max had to wish at least some of the time to be regular. Waking up with a mom screaming up the stairs about being late for school, joking around with friends on the bus about what the world history teacher will wear to make her look like a giant blueberry **(A/N: No joke, my friend's W.H. teacher always dresses in blue, so they call her Madam Blueberry)**, or just gossiping in between classes about the relationship status of every couple in school. At least, that's what always happens in movies. Obviously, I would have no knowledge of what actually goes on in a regular high school. *sigh*

Somehow, I don't think Max would enjoy it. She's too outgoing and independent to follow anyone else's rules. Heck, she rarely even follows her own. I just hoped she wouldn't do anything stupid to get that perfect family life. It wouldn't be worth it.

Curiosity got the best of me as I watched Max's eyes stay on one object. I focused on the dark blob, hoping for a group of trees or something else just as ordinary and boring. Of course, this is my life, so that couldn't happen. What I found was the following scene: a group of really big guys surrounding one much smaller girl. _Drat! Of course Max had to see this! _Don't get me wrong, I would help her if I could, but we had a bigger mission to focus on. If we stopped to help every single person in distress we wouldn't reach the School until next year.

Rabbit syndrome Max, of course, would have to go help her. Defender of the weak and the biggest feminist I know. There was just something Max hated about us guys. All of us had heard her "Y chromosome" speech way too many times. If there was a male involved, she would save the female. It didn't matter if it was the same species or not. Animal, bird kid, human…all the same in her book. You have no idea how annoying this could get. Yeah, I know, it's Max. She has to go save stuff. She wouldn't be Max if she didn't. But did she have to pick NOW to suddenly start saving kids on the street? How about when we got back from rescuing Angel? I could let her run lose then! We need her now! On top of that, she's going to go do something utterly stupid, get hurt or something like that, and then just disappear without a trace for the next few days. It's a routine, and yes it's happened before. Lots of times, actually, although most of the time it's with animals, seeing as we're kind of cut off from the human population.

Determination hardened in her eyes, and I turned forward. Here we go…

She turned to me and opened her mouth. "No," I said before she could even say anything. Her eyes narrowed as she opened her mouth a second time. _Haha that's not going to work Max_. "NO."

"Meet me at the northernmost point of Lake Mead," Max replied, completely ignoring me.

Nudge, always hungry, quickly jumped into the conversation. "What? What are you talking about? Are we stopping? I'm hungry again." Does everything have to be about food? Sure, I like food, I'm a guy after all, but this was not the time!

"Max wants to go be Supergirl, defender of the weak." Oh man, she was going to get it when she returned.

"Oh," Nudge stated, looking down to find the problem Max was so taken to. As Max circled around the area, slowly turning back, it all became clear to Nudge. "Oh! Max, remember when you got that little rabbit away from the fox, and we kept it in a carton in the kitchen, and then when it was well you let it go? That was cool. Did you see another rabbit?" See what I mean? The girl has a severe case of Rabbit syndrome.

"Kind of. It'll take two seconds." Yeah right. Two seconds? No…freakin…way. End of story. She was NEVER doing this again. "I'll catch up with you guys before you've gone forty miles. Just keep on course, and if anything weird happens, I'll meet you at Lake Mead." Grrrrrr. And yes, I, Fang whatever-my-last-name-is, just growled. This is what a life with Max does to you.

I stared ahead, hoping that somehow Max would see how much I hated this and decide against it. Of course, she just ignored me…again. "Okay. See you in a few." _A few what, Max? Minutes? Hours? Days? 'Cuz with stuff like this, you never know what can happen._

**Sorry again for the late update. Review?**


	22. Cotton Candy or Marshmallows?

**How's this? A quick update AND a long chapter! **** Please review! Oh and I have decided to answer my reviewers by a PM unless you are an anonymous reviewer, so please log in if you have an account!**

**Thanks to my subscribers/favoriters: Julie Swift, FaxnessForever13 **

Max was gone. _I cannot believe she just did that! She sacrificed our mission to save Angel, her favorite flock member, the one who she's practically a mother to, to go save some random girl who will never affect us ever again. How could she? That's just not Max! What happened?_

"Is Max coming back soon? I hope she is! I really don't want to lose Max! The whole Flock would fall apart! And Fang? I'm really hungry. Can we stop like soon? 'Cuz I really don't want to faint and then fall out of the sky! Even though fainting can be like so totally romantic! Oh my gosh, now I kind of want to faint! Although, it would be you that would have to catch me and waking up to see you staring at me would probably just freak me out. Plus, there's no way I could think of you as hot! That would be so weird! It would be like, oh what's that word, you know the one where you like marry your brother or something?"

"Incest," I replied, getting really uncomfortable with this conversation. I definitely agreed with Nudge; there was no way I would ever find her attractive in that way. I would be the extremely protective big brother who has to meet all her dates and scare them with my enormous muscles and stuff. However, that also goes with Max; would loving, even liking, Max be way out of bounds? Because when you think of us as brother and sister, it's disgusting. The thing is, I've never really thought of her as my sister. Sure, Iggy's my brother and Nudge is my sister, but Max? That would just be way too weird.

"Yeah! Incest! I'm sorry Fang, but you're just not that hot to me. Now with Max, that may be another story." By the end of this Nudge was giggling. _Darn her! _

"I do not like Max." There was no way I was admitting it to her.

*cough* "Denial" *cough*

I glared at her, which shut her up for about two seconds.

"So, back to the food thing. Are we going to eat soon? I'm so hungry Fang! I could eat almost anything, like that bus down there, or those cows, or that cloud! Yum! I wonder what clouds taste like! They look like cotton candy, but aren't they like water? But how does it stay in the sky? Oh yeah, water vapor! Duh! Haha I'm just so HUNGRY that I forgot all about water vapor! Hey Fang, do you think a cloud would taste like nothing or would it just taste like water? Should I go try one? There's a cloud over there! Wait, didn't Max do something like this when she was little? I think I remember you talking about it, and then getting beat up. Was it really funny? I wish I had seen it! Ok, so I'm not going to eat a cloud. But did Max eat one?"

I nearly snorted out loud thinking about that day soon after we were rescued. "Yeah, she tried." Oh gosh, that was probably the funniest day of my life!

—cue flashback—

"Hey Fang. Fang! Wake up! Come on! Why are you sleeping? It's a perfect night for flying!"

I groaned, slowly opening my eyes to see a very awake and extremely hyper Max. "Time?"

"Oh come on! It's only three! Plus, we now have all the freedom we want! I mean, we could go outside and jump and scream around and no one would shock us or try and shoot us! It's amazing! So, are you coming? I know how much you love flying at night! I guess it's because you're all dark so you can sort of blend in! I wonder what would happen if you got invisibility powers! That would be so cool!" Geez how is she this awake? It's freakin three in the morning!

"Max. What. The. Heck." After that completely out of character ramble, I was getting kind of worried.

"Oh Fang, I found this drink in the fridge! It looked like a coke, and I've always wanted a soda, but apparently it wasn't. I saw this funny name on the can after I drank it. Monster. Why would anyone name a drink a monster? Wouldn't that scare people away?"

The name sounded familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had heard it. Didn't Jeb warn us about those? I think he said they were…oh no…she didn't…an ENERGY DRINK? Max on an energy drink? I AM DEAD! My eyes widened at the prospect of Max drinking a whole can of that stuff.

*giggle* "What's the matter Fang?"

"Max, was it an energy drink?"

"Now that you mention it, I do believe it said something like that on the can. But I mean, really, how could anything give me more energy than I already have? That's impossible!" That's what I thought too. I just hope it doesn't kill her. That much energy in a Max sized person? This could get scary. Yeah she's not the smallest person, and it would have been worse if Nudge or Angel had gotten a hold of it, but she's still not as big as say Jeb, who bought those stupid things for days he was too tired to deal with us.

"So, are we going FLYING? I love flying! I'm all like wee! and you're all like … and I'm like wee! and you're like … and it goes on and on and on!"

I figured the best thing to do was just get her out of the house and away from everyone else. I really didn't want to explain to Jeb why Max was jumping around talking like Nudge on a sugar high at three in the morning. _Why was Max even up to drink this stuff this early?_

"Umm I guess." Hopefully flying will help her burn that energy off quicker. As it is, she won't be affected as long as a regular human.

"YAY! WE'RE GOING FLYING!" She yelled.

"Max! Hush! You'll wake everyone else up." _Geez, did her common sense leave her with that drink? Maybe flying wasn't such a good idea…_

"Ok. I'll be quite. But hurry up Fang! I want to go flying!" She whined.

I got up and threw on a shirt.

"Yay! Flying time!"

*sigh* This was going to be a long flight. We walked as quietly as we could outside, where Max went completely crazy.

"FANG! OH MY GOSH THIS IS SO MUCH FUN! I LOVE FLYING! HURRY UP! YOU'RE TAKING TOO LONG!"

"I'm coming Max." At least she waited until we were out of the house to explode.

"Wheeeeeeeeee! I love doing those little circley things! What are they called? I can't remember! Oh well, it doesn't matter! They're just so much fun! Wow, we could never do this at the School! I'm so glad Jeb got us out of there and taught us all these new tricks! Oh wait, you taught us some of those too, didn't you? Oh, and I did too! But I think he told us about the circley looped a loop thing!"

"Um yeah." I replied, not really sure if she wanted an answer.

"Oo Fang I'm kind of hungry! That's why I got up this morning! I wanted to go eat so I opened the fridge to see if there was like any chocolate hidden in there cuz I know you hide your chocolate in the fridge or freezer and I realized I was thirsty and I saw the can in the back of the fridge and I moved it to see if the chocolate was behind it but I drank the can because I was thirsty and then looked at the name and saw it was an energy drink. Then, I was like, this is a perfect time for flying so I went and woke you up, except I had to like saw your name three times. You must have been tired! Usually it only takes one time and you bolt straight up!"

Yeah, usually I'm having nightmares that one of the Flock members is being tortured by the whitecoats. Most of the times Max calls my name, she's being tortured in my dream. I have to wake up to check on her.

"Fang? You ok? You kind of spaced there. Haha spaced! And we're in the air, where there's a lot of space! Hahaha! That's funny!" I was a little confused on how she thought this was funny, so I remained silent.

"Fang? You think a cloud would taste good? They kind of look like marshmallows! I like those things, especially with the chocolate! Oh and the graham crackers I suppose. But the chocolate's the best! Those s'more things! Yum! You think a cloud tastes like a s'more?"

I wasn't sure, but we had flown through a few and they were really wet. However, if Max wanted to taste one, who was I to stop her? "I don't know Max. Why don't you go and taste it?" I had a feeling it did not taste like marshmallows, but it never hurt to try it. Also, this should teach Max a lesson not to drink cans without reading the label first.

"Ok! I will! Hmm which cloud looks the tastiest to you? I think that big fat juicy one over there does! Should I eat that one?"

*snicker* "Why not?" This was going to be funny.

"Yay! I'm going to eat a cloud Fang! Aren't you jealous?"

I was feeling a lot of things at that moment, but jealousy was not one of them. She flew up to the cloud, stuck her face in it, and chomped down…on her tongue!

It was taking all of my concentration not to burst out laughing, but as soon as Max's face emerged, soaking wet, I admit, I lost it. It was just too hilarious! I was in hysterics, with Max glaring at me the entire time. I guess the drink had worn off.

"Fang. That. Was. NOT. Funny!" She yelled.

I couldn't answer, but my stomach was starting to hurt after laughing for so long. Taking deep breaths, I tried to regain my composure, but a few snickers still broke through.

"How could you let me do that Fang? You're a horrible friend!" Hahaha! I knew she was kidding, so this statement didn't even make me flinch. I just calmly gazed back at Max until she flew over to me and punched me. _Oh, it's on. Like soy sauce on a won-ton._

She pulled her arm back for another one, but I blocked her and kicked. A familiar gleam in her eye appeared, as she realized I was going to fight back. There was nothing Max liked better than a good fight.

It didn't last long, though. Max's exhaustion showed in her fighting, heightened by the sugar crash she was probably going through from the energy drink. I'm sure I wasn't much better. Getting up at three was not my idea of a picnic.

We made our way back to the house but the mental image of Max sticking her head in the cloud still kept popping up in my brain. So, of course, I had to lose it again. This in turn made Max pitifully punch me and fly back to the house by herself. _Wow…I hope I remember that forever!_ The one thing I was not looking forward to was Jeb's face when I explained that we had taken a night flight with a super hyper Max, none the less. _Ah well, good times can't last forever. _

—end flashback—

"So Fang, can we eat?" Nudge asked.

*sigh* "As soon as we get to the lake Nudge."

"But…but…that'll take such a long time! And I haven't eaten anything in…" She trailed off as she realized she was whining. Then she grinned. "So, you wanna tell me about that cloud episode with Max?" The mental image popped up, and I lost it. _Some things never change. _

**A/N: What do you think? The flashback was supposed to be a few months after they escaped the School. Review please!**


	23. Heaven

**Kaleigh: Thanks for reviewing! Hahaha yeah I loved writing hyper Max!**

**smilealwyas678: Thank you! I love writing these, but I'm not sure if I'm up to doing the entire series…I guess it depends on when I finish this one!**

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**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is first chair in Wind Ensemble! NO JI-WON! YOU CAN NOT TAKE THAT FROM ME! MWAHAHAHAHA! Hehe sorry…**

I had to keep forcing myself not to look behind for Max. She still hadn't shown up, and it had been at least forty minutes. _What happened to "see you in a few"? If she got herself hurt, I'm gonna kill her, then clone her and kill her clone! Of course, then I would regret it…but she should not make me wait like this! I swear, if she's doing this as a practical joke or something, she really is dead! _Another voice in my head said, _Fang, you know she would never pull a stunt like this. It's real. She's in trouble. _And on that happy notion my thoughts kept straying as we flew towards Lake Mead.

Over the wind I could hear Nudge's stomach rumbling, which means she's really hungry. I knew it was only seconds until…

"Fang? I'm really hungry, you know?" Yep, I knew, but I really wanted to get to the lake before we stopped, in case Max took a different route and was waiting for us there. That's what kept me believing in her safety, and I clung to that thought like a drowning man to a lifesaver. I couldn't keep the depressing thoughts out of my head though. If she did die…how would we know? _No! Don't think that! She's Max, the invincible bird kid! _But still…it was stupid to leave her alone! I should have insisted to go with her! We could've taken those bullies and been back up in the air in no time. _Why had I been so stupid?_

_Oh good! We made it! Ok, now where to land…hmmmm._

Just then, I spotted a small black hole in the side of a cliff. Now, you may be thinking, 'Why the heck is he going towards a black hole?' Because it's safe. If I had trouble seeing it, the Eraser's most certainly would. And it's not like Max would miss us and go onto the School. We would have a clear view of the area.

I nodded to Nudge to show her that I had heard her and motioned towards the cave. I didn't want to speak, in case my anxiousness escaped in my voice. Even though I was hiding it as best as I could, I was still worried about Max. A rescue mission didn't take that long! _Where is she?_

Nudge swooped into the cave, and I landed gently beside her. Scanning my surroundings, I didn't notice anything suspicious. The cave had a sandy floor, good for if it rained. All the water would simply get sucked up by the floor. However, we were in the desert, so it didn't rain very often. Therefore, most of the time the floor would simply be extremely dusty, as it was right then. The cave was about twenty feet wide at the entrance and fifteen feet in length. It gradually got skinnier as it progressed inward. A perfect hideout until everyone met up with us. Hopefully Gazzy and Iggy had finished their "secret project" and were on their way.

Nudge sank down on the floor, thankful to have a rest stop. I remember her hunger (and my own, although I wouldn't admit it aloud) and took off my backpack. While pulling food out, I remembered the chocolate I had discovered back in the cabin. _Where is that chocolate?_

When I pulled out a bag of dried fruit, Nudge ripped the bag open before it even made it out of my hands. "Oh, yes, yes." Haha if she's this happy about fruit, I can't wait to see what her reaction to the good stuff will be!

_Ah ha! Found it! _I waved it in front of Nudge's face.

*Squeal* "Oh, Fang, where did you find this? You must have been hiding it—you didn't say anything, and all this time you've had chocolate, and oh, God, it's so good!" Yep. There's the reaction I was looking for. She settled down to savor the sweetness as I did the same. _Oh gosh this is good! Nothing can compare to eating chocolate!_ _The only thing I could think of that could be better than this is kissing Max—and you did not just hear me say that._ I closed my eyes, imagining a scene where I was kissing Max and eating chocolate. Oh man, that would be heaven!

Nudge had to ruin the mood. I know she didn't mean to, but it still popped my dream bubble. "So where's Max?" _Right here kissing me and eating chocolate _I almost replied. _No—that's dream Max. Real Max is fighting who-knows-who back in that subdivision where I so foolishly left her._ "Why'd she go down there? Shouldn't she be back by now? Aren't we supposed to go all the way to Lake Mead? What are we gonna do if she doesn't come back soon—" I had to stop her. She had just voiced my biggest fear.

I tried to answer her questions with the simplest, least worrisome answers I could. "Max saw someone in trouble, down below, and went to help. We'll wait here for her; Lake Mead is right below us." There that's good. Nothing terribly alarming, and it sounds like I actually know what I'm doing. Is this what Max has to do all the time? It's not that bad…

Nudge's face showed how worried she was. I wanted to comfort her, but I'm not good with words. So, I just settled with eating some more of my chocolate. And that was another reason why I could never be Flock leader. _Hurry up Max! I won't last much longer! This job is hard! _I could see her here with me now, laughing at my attempts to lead the Flock. Taunting me, she would reply, 'What do you mean Fang? I thought you just said my job wasn't that bad?'

Nudge stood up, and I glanced up at her. She was simply looking around our cave, curious as to what it held. As she walked out onto one of the ledges, she froze. "Uh, Fang?" She said, the anxiety straining in her voice.

Crap. I got into my fighting mode, prepared to fight whatever it was the School sent for us. However, I was not expecting a bunch of birds…

**A/N: Sorry it's short and late! I've been practicing my All-West music. We have chair placements in band this week, and I must keep my first chair! Ji-Won will not steal it from me! **** So, tell me how it was? Did you like it? Hate it? Please let me know in a REVIEW!**


	24. Fledging Food

**Thanks to my readers! Also, thanks to my favoriters/subscribers: MCpooky**

_Oh crap. Not good. Don't move. Don't move._ After rushing to the ledge to see what Nudge had gasped about, I wish I hadn't.

Nestled among all the rocks and plants were large nests, about two feet across. Inside of these nests were little fledglings. So you girls (and maybe guys) might go 'Awww! It's a baby bird! So cute! Why are scared of a baby bird, Fang? It can't hurt you!' That may be true…but I happen to know that the giant parent birds glaring at us could do a lot of damage. I really didn't feel like getting beaten up by a bird. Not to mention the torture I'd have to go through if—when Max got here.

"What are they?" Nudge whispered, the fear evident in the voice. At least she whispered. I'm not sure we would have made it out in one piece is she had yelled it.

"Ferruginous hawks. Largest raptor in the States. Sit down, very slowly. No sudden movements or we're both bird feed." _Oh the irony…_

Thankfully, Nudge did as I said. I could tell she wanted to get the heck out of there, but I figured that the birds wouldn't mind having us if they knew we weren't a threat.

"Do you think—" _What did I just tell her? Is she trying to get us killed? Nudge! Shut up!_

I quickly motioned for her to be as silent as she could possibly be. Then I slowly sank next to her, keeping my eyes on the birds. Man did they have sharp beaks. And talons. _Please don't eat me! _I silently begged. The fledglings were eating gopher parts, but who's to say that a bird kid didn't look more appetizing?

I wanted to wait a little bit before I carried out the plan I had devised. I figured that if the birds figured out we were in fact part bird, they would leave us alone. The only problem was how to convey this message. It's not like I could just explain this fact to them. Meanwhile, Nudge was getting restless, fidgeting and such. I could tell she was about to explode.

_I guess now is as good a time as ever…it's not like we can sit here for the rest of our lives._ Feeling extremely anxious, I slowly extended one of my wings. Every single hawk in the place instantly turned and stared at it. Now, can you imagine how much courage that took from me? I grew up in a place where your wings were your most prized possessions. No one looked at them, because that meant more experimenting. I rarely unfurled my wings, except to fly or cool off…stuff like that. Showing them to birds that might attack them on sight? That took a lot of guts.

"I'm letting them catch my scent." I whispered almost silently to Nudge. I didn't want her to think we were fleeing the cave. With my luck, she would've opened hers and jumped out of there, leaving me to become fledging food.

_Good bird. We won't hurt you. Think calming thoughts. Gopher. Sky. Mama bird. We come in peace. No hurt. Just need cave for safety. _I was trying to convey peace to the birds…

_Man, this is a time when I wish I was telepathic. _

I really didn't think these thoughts would help our situation, but it was worth a shot. After about five minutes the birds relaxed. Nudge breathed a sigh of relief. I have to admit, I was worried too. If they had wanted to kill us, they easily could have. We were way outnumbered, and they had the talons and beaks on their side.

Now that the death threat was gone, I could concentrate better. I noticed they're wings were very similar to Nudge's except for the size. _Hmm…I wonder if she has some Ferruginous Hawk in her. We had never really thought about what birds our DNA was composed of, but now that this had come up I wondered about the rest of us. Angel might be part Dove, and I could see Gazzy being part Mockingbird or Parrot. Iggy has the coloring of an Albatross, and I could pass as a blackbird. Max? Hmmm…maybe an Eagle? She has the qualities of an eagle, but not really the wings of one. I'm not exactly sure about her…_

The hawks continued feeding their young. Wow…they were so parental. Almost like humans. They fed their babies and hunted for them. _These birds have better parents than we do. _This thought struck me. Believe it or not, it made me want to cry a little. I know you're probably saying, 'What the heck Fang? That's not like you!' And yeah I know it's not. But imagine growing up without a parent to tuck you into bed or say, 'I love you!' then figure out an animal is have a better life than you. It's harsh. I_ have to stop thinking of this. I can't cry in front of Nudge. _

"Eew!" Nudge couldn't contain her disgust as the hawk brought back a snake. "Double eew!" She exclaimed as the fledglings fought over the first bite.

I slowly turned my head and grinned at her exclamation. Startled, Nudge smiled back. As I turned back to the birds, I couldn't help but continue smiling as the birds fought over the food. They reminded me a lot like the Flock. There was me and Max and Iggy, the strong ones eager to get the first bite. Then there were the smaller ones, Nudge and Gazzy, hanging back a bit, but still scrapping up scraps as the older ones dropped them. Then there was Angel, the smallest and frailest one. She was barely getting any food, but as I watched one of the older ones came over and dropped some food near her. _Haha that's definitely Max…always watching out for her Flock._

Their behavior surprised me, but it also helped me appreciate how similar we were. We both were simply trying to survive in a world that wasn't always welcoming. Somehow, though, we will get through this, just as the birds will grow up and become strong members of the food chain. As I watched a bird fly out of the cave, completely free, I realized another similarity. We were both free to do whatever we wanted. No one told us to be back by 9 or fly safe, besides Max of course. We were saving Angel because we loved her and without her our Flock would not be complete. With this resolve, I turned towards the mouth of the cave to watch the bird fly off into the sunlight. _Don't worry Angel. We'll save you._

**A/N: Whatcha think? Please review! Oh and sorry the birds didn't act like real birds, but I wanted Fang to see the Flock in the birds.**


	25. Flying With the Hawks

**Thanks to all my fabulous readers and reviewers! Also thanks to my favoriters/subscribers: Contains Demons, **

Nudge was bored. Extremely bored. Like, kill me know kind of bored. "Angel's waiting for us. I mean, she's like everyone's little sister."_ I know Nudge. Why must you remind me of the fact that I can't even take care of my own family?_

Shifting a little on the rocky ground, she brushed off the layers of dust that had collected on her legs and clothes. We were really going to need a bath soon…maybe there was a lake nearby?

"At night, when we're supposed to be asleep, me and Angel talk and tell jokes and stuff." Ah-ha! I knew there was a reason why they were always the last ones up! They were up talking all night! That would also explain why me and Max were the first ones up…we had no one to talk to in our rooms. "I mean, am I going to have to sleep in that room alone, whenever we get home? Max has to come back. She wouldn't let Angel go, right?" _What? How could Nudge think that? Max would never leave us!_

"No," I reassured her. "She won't let Angel go. Look—you see how that big hawk, the one with the dark stripe on its shoulders—you see how he seems to move one wing faster than the other when he banks? It makes his back really tight and smooth. We should try it." I was fascinated by their flying styles…they seemed to glide through the air, seamlessly and effortlessly…that was something we had never mastered. I told Max we should learn to fly from a bird, but did she listen to me? Nope. She thought learning from a human who had no experience flying, and, in fact, only learned how to teach us by watching birds, was the way to do it. Why not just cut the middle man? Max wouldn't hear of it…I think she just wanted Jeb to feel "needed."

Anyways, Nudge was staring at me speechless. _Whoa I need to do this more often! I finally figured out a way to shut her up!_

After a few minutes, she regained her voice. Studying the bird I had pointed out, she replied, "Yeah, I see what you mean." I was too excited to wait for her to catch up. As soon as I heard that she got what I was saying, I leapt up and jumped off the cliff, unfurling my majestic wings with a loud snap. Joining the other hawks, I carefully studied their wings. It looked like they were just moving one slightly faster than the other; not enough to cause a massive spiral, but fast enough to result in a sharp turn.

Elated, I tried it out. _This is great! Oh man, Max will be so jealous when she sees this! I bet I could beat her in so many races now!_ In my excitement, I swooped back to the cave, eager to call out to Max and show her. Then, I remembered where I was and why: Max wasn't here. She went to rescue that little girl.

To cover my mistake, I called out to Nudge. "Come on! Try it! You'll fly better!" _And feel great! _It was so easy to just forget up here…forget about our situation and just _live. _Nudge sighed and joined me. I quickly demonstrated the move to her, but I was eagerly watching the birds to pick up new techniques. Nudge got the wing thing extremely quick, then decided to go bug the hawks and test their tolerance of her. I almost called her back, but none of them looked like they were about to raise an alarm.

_Hmm maybe they think we're part of their flock._ As much as I loved watching these birds, I did wish that Max would hurry her butt up and get here. I was worrying, so I knew Nudge was. And, as I have mentioned before, I'm not good with emotions. I really didn't need Nudge to break down on me…of course, the chances of her doing that were like .0000000000000000009%, if that. We didn't cry; we were fighters.

After a while, our wings started to tire. I figured it wasn't the brightest idea to fly 'til we dropped, so we flew back to the cave. With our wings fanned out around us, it was almost peaceful. All the birds were feeding and grooming, and everyone was happy; well, except us. Just thinking about Max out there made my stomach drop. What if she was hurt? No one could help her; correction: as stubborn as Max was, she wouldn't ask for help. She would try to fly out here injured, fall, and die.

Nudge sniffed, and I wondered if I had somehow actually said my thoughts out loud. It was best to keep Nudge hopeful. Me, well I just went with the flow.

"What?" I inquired.

Nudge quickly whipped her eyes as the tears appeared. "These birds. Like, these dumb hawks have more of a mom than I ever had. The parents are taking care of the little ones. No one ever did that for me. Well, besides Max. But she's not a mom." _And here's the emotional part I predicted would not come…_

I understood where she was coming from though…heck, I had thought about that earlier. But it's something that couldn't be helped. It wasn't fair, but I had learned to get over it a long time ago. And Max tried her best; sometimes I wondered if she really did think of the little ones as her kids.

"Yeah, I get it." I tried to keep the emotion from leaking into my voice. Disregarding her eyes on me, I peered out the cave entrance. The sun was melting into the horizon in a pool of golden pink.

It was then that I realized the downside to sleeping in a cave with birds. Of course, there was the poop, but another thing was the birds would not stay quiet! I honestly did not know how the heck we were supposed to get sleep with those rambunctious birds. I mean, come on! How hard is it to stay quiet? Just as I was about to silently kill every last bird that was making a noise, they shut up. Maybe they felt the presence of my threat…in any case, we both were glad that they had decided to go to sleep.

Moving closer to Nudge, I help out my fist for our ritual bedtime fist stack. Nudge stared at it, and then put hers on top. It felt strangely light without the rest of the Flock. We always did this before we slept…except, now that I thought of it, last night when we had Max. I was surprised Max had forgotten about it. She was the one who would wake everyone else up just to stack our fists. I put my right fist on top of our fists, and Nudge followed.

"Night." She was being extremely careful not to wake the hawks up. Then she curled up against the wall.

"Night, Nudge." I whispered back, rejoicing in the thought of a new day…that one couldn't get any worse than today's was.

**Please review! **** You know you want to!**


	26. Darn Good Eatin'

**Thanks to my amazing readers! Please review! **

**Jifg: Thank you so much for the suggestions! I had already written this chapter by the time you reviewed so there's a bit of fax, but I'll try and tone it down in the future. Thanks for reviewing! Oh, and I'm planning a flashback for the next chapter! ;)**

**Also thanks to my favoriters/subscribers: inkheart90 **

As much as I tried, sleep was not coming to me. I did every stupid sleep thing that I had ever heard about…counting sheep, relaxing my body, breathing slowly, but nothing worked. Finally, I got fed up with attempting to sleep and walked to the edge of the cave. The stars were shinning unusually bright.

Suddenly, in front of the light of the moon, a dark shape darted across. Surprised, I let my eyes follow the mysterious flying object. "Oh," I muttered. "It's just a bat." I had always admired bats. They eat pesky moths, get to fly (at night!), and have awesome hearing, sort of like Iggy. If Iggy was my coloring, I would say he was part bat instead of part bird!

Entranced by the night sky, I'm not sure how much time passed. If Max was here, she would be looking at this sky with me. Either that or I would actually be asleep.

I was itching to fly, but I wasn't sure how the bats would take to a bird-kid flying alongside them. Figuring that I could handle anything a bat decided to hand out to me, I spread my wings and jumped of the cliff, pausing to check on Nudge. Max would kill me if I lost her. She was sleeping peacefully, so I decided not to wake her. Plus, I wanted some time alone after the day. A lot had happened, and I needed to think it over…

With the wind whipping through my hair, I mulled around the many thoughts floating in my brain: why max wasn't here, what was happening to Angel, where the guys were, and most of all, what the heck was I gonna do next?

I couldn't just wait for Max, especially if she wasn't going to show up. I had to face that possibility…even if I didn't want to. Sacrificing Angel for Max, that was something I just couldn't do. It was hard enough losing both of them. But then again, I didn't even know if Angel was still alive. So, was it ok to wait for Max, the one who had the most chance of survival? Angel was pretty much as good as dead at this point, as much as I hated to think that way. Then there was always the chance that she was still alive and being experimented on. Actually, I doubt they would want to kill a human-avian hybrid, as hard as they worked to create us. Which brings me back to my original debate: Max or Angel?

"What do you want from me? Why must you make me choose? What did I ever do to deserve this?" My voice gradually developed into a scream. I was nearing my explosion point; I had to let everything out. The wind was whipping around me, but I wanted the sky to just open up and pour on me. It was too serene for me. I had to escape. _What about Nudge? I can't just leave her here…she would completely freak out. I can't do that to her._

My thoughts were all over the place, whipping around in my head like a tornado, utterly confusing me. I had to do something that didn't require thinking…like finding food. I realized with a start that I had flown further than I had originally intended to. Glowing in front of me was a small patch of land. _Must be a town. And where a town is, people are. And where people are, food is sure to follow. I found our breakfast._ Swooping down low, I scouted the place for restaurants. I saw a McDonald and a Wendy. _Yeah baby! Jackpot!_

If food doesn't sell the day they make it, most places just throw it out for the rats to devour. Or in this case, the two hungry birdkids. I knew that down there was food calling to me and Nudge. You know what they say: one man's garbage is another man's treasure. With us, it was almost guarantee for our survival.

The sun was peeking out over the horizon. _I better get back…Nudge will be missing me. _Slowly flying back, my body decided it was getting tired. I was fighting to keep my eyes open, and I was losing the battle. Then, an amazing sight struck me. The hawks were all flying above me in formation. I attempted to resist the urge to join them and lost again. They were just so…majestic. So free. I had to fly with them. It was something beyond what I controlled. Almost like instinct. I forgot about everything and just let the wind cleanse me of my troubles.

I was giddy with freedom. Yeah, I said it. Giddy. And let me tell you something, I don't get "giddy" very often. Of course, I just couldn't live with my giddiness alone. Nudge awoke, pulling me from my dream cloud.

"Morning."

"I'm hungry." _Of course she is. Good thing I found that town._

"Town about three minutes away. Follow me." Even though it had taken me longer to find it last night, the town was relatively close. I decided to show off my new found flying methods and tilted my body slightly to the left, allowing an updraft to catch and lift me. Nudge struggled behind me, sighed, and flapped her wings hard to catch up. I smirked, knowing she was trying, and failing, to copy me.

I followed a highway that I had missed last night which brought us almost directly above the magical dumpster of breakfast. I nodded my head towards it for Nudge's benefit. Her eyes lit up as she imagined what we would find in it. I hoped there was a LOT of food.

A worker was just coming out of the fast food place, so we had to wait for him to return inside. Then, we had to wait to make sure he wasn't coming out again. All the while my stomach was growling so loud I thought for sure Nudge would hear it. Finally we decided it was safe. Circling around the dumpster, my imagination got carried away. _I hope there are hamburgers, and fries, and milkshakes, and more hamburgers, and more fries…_I think you got the picture. I wanted food. Badly.The aroma of rotting food brought me back to the world. Yeah, that may sound gross, but it's darn good eatin'.

We perched on the side of the dumpster and pecked through it. "Nirvana," I remarked. Then I saw a burger. "Burger?" I inquired.

Nudge thought, then shook her head, a look of disgust on her face. "I don't know—after watching the hawks shredding little animals—oh, but look, here's a couple salads. And some apple pies! Bonus!" I shook my head, not knowing how she could pass up perfectly good food like these burgers.

We stuffed our jackets with as much food as we could carry. Nudge discovered a few more salads and pies, but to my regret I found no milkshakes. _Darn._

It took us all of three minutes to touch down, stuff our jackets full of breakfast, and take off again. Glancing back, I saw the worker come out again. _Whew! That was close!_

With a full stomach, I felt much better. Nudge was no longer as moody, so I took that as a good sign. She was watching the hawks fly as I finished my hamburgers. I wiped my greasy fingers on my pants, a readymade napkin.

"You know, I think the way they swoop and stuff is like a message to the other hawks. Like they're telling them where there's game or where they'll be or something. I haven't figured it out yet. But I will." I was positive they were communicating through their flying patterns, but I hadn't cracked the code yet. _Give me some time, and I can._

"Oh." Nudge didn't seem that interested. As she spread her wings out to warm them in the sunlight, she tried to be as quiet as possible. I think she didn't want me to get ticked off at her or something. I knew the silence wouldn't last long, so I made the best of it.

I was right. Five minutes later, she was about to burst. "Fang? We've just got to go find Max. Or should we go on and try to find Angel?" Decision time. Max or Angel? I thought back to my earlier conversation with myself. I wasn't sure either was alive, but I had to make a choice. Then something struck me. How on earth were we supposed to storm The School with just two people? I made up my mind. We would find Max, because without her our chance of getting Angel out of The School was close to zero.

"We're going to circle back, look for Max. She must have—run into something." _Yeah…that's what happened._ I couldn't make myself think of the other possibility.

Nudge nodded gravely, surely thinking of the same thing I was: what was keeping Max?

Deciding that now was as good as ever, I stood up and stretched. I glanced at Nudge. "You ready?"

She jumped to her feet, ready for action. "Absolutely. Um, where do you think we should—" But that was all I needed. I jumped off the cliff, retracing our flight. Behind me I heard a small voice yell, "Tarzan!" I let myself smile, thinking of the childhood memories of me and Max after watching that movie. _But that's for another time…right now, I'm on a rescue mission._

**A/N: I am so desperately sorry that it took so long for me to upload this! I had so much school work, and then with Christmas and all I didn't really have time. But it's up, and I made it kinda long for y'all! **** So please review! I love feedback! **


	27. Life Forces

**Thank you so much people! I love you all! Even those who read yet don't review!**

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**bubblegirl:**** Thanks for the reviews! I was so shocked at how many kept coming in from you! As to doing the whole book, I am definitely doing that. As to doing the whole series, I'm not so sure…it really depends on how fast I can finish this one! **** And I'm so glad I made you laugh! (Sorry about the weird looks though!) That was my favorite part to write! It reminded me of one of my friends…she goes completely insane with just one sip of a monster! As to the movies, people have been saying that for a while, but I personally don't think they'll ever make them. **

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Searching. Searching for something. Anything. The smallest piece of evidence that Max had been through this area. Of course, she better than anyone knew how to cover her tracks. I was hoping that she had been thoughtful enough to leave some kind of a message, note, or even a scrap of clothing to alert our attention to the fact that she had been there. My plan was to circle the lake and its surrounding areas, gradually getting larger with each circle. I figured that would be the easiest way to cover the most ground without overlapping. Of course, by using this method we took the chance that Max had actually passed us and already made it to the lake.

In case that happened, I had left a tiny scrap of my shirt, carefully hidden in a small crevice in the cave directly at eye level. It would be the first place Max would look for something from us. This was one of our ways of communicating when we were kids. Back at the school, we would be gone for days for experiments then return unconscious. I came up with the code of leaving a scrap of clothing behind. In fact, it was inspired by Max and her fear of…well, let me just tell you what happened.

—cue flashback—

My lungs were burning; my muscles were screaming. Forced to run at a 75% incline at 10 mph could really take it out of a birdkid. I told myself not to give in to the darkness…that's what they wanted. They wanted to discover my maximum running level. I wouldn't show them.

As I ran harder and harder, the outside portion of my vision started turning black. _No! I can do it! I'm...NOT…going…to…pass…out... _I thought as the blackness slowly overtook my sight, allowing me a few blessed minutes in darkness. At least I couldn't feel the pain of the Erasers in my unconscious state.

Of course, the first thing I felt when I came to was the pain. It hurt. Like crap. I assessed the damage, which is a lot easier said than done. My ears were buzzing, my eyes didn't seem to want to open, and it hurt to move. I finally was able to crack my eyes open, only to find myself back in my cage. _Well, it's better than still running…at least I get to sit._

"Fang? Fang? You ok? Fang? Can you hear me?" I realized that the buzzing I had heard was actually Max bombarding me with questions.

I tried to keep my screams in as I sat up; as it is, I think a few groans escaped me. I gulped, took a deep breath (or as deep as one could with a few cracked ribs), looked over to Max.

"So, damage assessment? How bad?" She peered through the bars of her cage.

"Not bad. You?" It was true; I could've been a lot worse.

"Well I'm not exactly feeling my best, but I've felt worse." I nodded, understanding what she meant; as long as you were alive, you were not hurt too badly. "But Fang, you really don't look that good…I'm worried that one day you'll just be gone. Like, what if they take both of us away at the same time, then I get knocked out and return back here, then you come back. Then, I stay unconscious for like, a long time, and you get taken away for another experiment! I'll think you're dead! I can't lose you Fang! I'd have no one in this place…it was bad enough before you came, now it would be even worse! You're my first true friend Fang. If you were to…die…then I think I would die too…I just couldn't help it!"

I had to admit, that was probably the most touching thing I had ever heard Max say. She tries to be tough because here, the weak don't make it, but we're both still kids. Me, well I've always been better at hiding my emotions. It makes you a lesser target…the whitecoats like it when they see the look of pain on your face. By masking it, I ensure less painful experiments.

I was stunned into silence. Max started sniffling, and I glanced up in surprise. Max was crying! She never cried…unless she was extremely hurt. "Shhhh. Max. Don't worry. We'll figure something out. We _will_ get out of here. I promise."

She lifted her head and looked me straight in the eyes. Then she smiled a watery smile and softly mumbled, "Thanks Fang." I half-smiled back, and she turned around to try and get some sleep before they yanked us away again.

"G'night Fang."

"Night Max." But I was far from sleep. My thoughts were running as if they were on the treadmill I was forced on earlier. They just couldn't stop, as if there was a death sentence just waiting for them.

I strayed to the topic of Max's fear. I never realized how much I meant to her…or how much she meant to me. I understood everything she meant. We were each other's life-forces in that hell hole. But how could we let each other know that we weren't dead? With the scientists, that was never a guarantee. I despised that my life was like this. Loathed it! The chance that I was to be born in this kind of environment was only 10-40%, yet I got stuck here. With Max.

Back to the communication problem…what if we arranged like, a code or something! Yeah, that might work! But how? It's not like we have a pad of paper or pencil with us…

So what do we have? Well, we have spit. And blood. No, blood would just make it worse. Then the only thing that would run through my mind was what happened for her to have blood all over her. Plus, I've seen enough of blood. Umm…well hair, I guess. That would be hard to find though. Imagine finding one strand of hair in your cage in the dark. Wouldn't work out all that well. Ummm…

I looked down, to see if by any chance I had anything else on me that could serve a purpose.

Clothes! We both have clothes! And they sometimes give us new one if they get ripped to shreds! It's perfect! We could say something like, a piece of your shirt means that you think you're gonna be ok, and part of your pants means that things aren't lookin too good…that may work!

"I'll take it up with Max tomorrow…" I muttered as sleep finally found me.

—end flashback—

So there you have it. The discovery of a simple code that me and Max used. Turns out, she loved it, and we used it until our clothes were so ragged that they were inappropriate to wear…obviously we stopped then. The whitecoats occasionally took pity on us and gave us new ones, but more often that less we were left with barely any covering. It got extremely cold in the winter, because guess what? The evil scientists decided not to give us any heat until Angel came in. And that was only because they had to keep it warm for the baby. They didn't want to lose such a 'precious experiment' to hypothermia.

So now we're back to my boring flight of looking for Max. This is when I wish something exciting would happen. But could it please be a good exciting? That would be a nice change!

**A/N: Hey people! Sorry it's a little short. I was going to make the flashback longer, but then I couldn't figure out how to end it. So this is what you're stuck with! **** Please review, even if you never have before. It would really brighten my day (and trust me, it needs brightening.) I had All West auditions this morning (for those who don't know what this is, it's like this huge band competition between all of west TN) and I didn't do as well as I had hope for. So please review and make my day better! **


	28. Mini Freakout

**Thanks to my readers and reviewers! Y'all are amazing!**

**FangLover98****: Awww thank you so much! I'm glad you think I hit his personality right on the nail! I try really hard, so it's great to know that my work has paid off! And as to the books, I'll try my hardest! **

**Bubblegirl: ****Thank you so much! You're praise is greatly appreciated! And I think Nudge was just delivered as a new experiment to the same place Max and Fang were…but I'm not positive about that! **

**Thanks to my favoriters/subscribers: Eurwen de Vrill, Hoshiakari Mitsukai, Bubblegirl11**

Here I am again. Flying. But I know you don't want to hear about how great flying feels like, because 1) you've already heard it from me and 2) I'm sure you've hear all about it in Max's books. So I'll just cut to the chase.

Nudge was getting anxious. I knew how hard this was for her, and I was hoping for her sake that we would see Max flying towards us and laughing at our worried expressions. But life hates me, so that didn't happen.

"Fang? Do you remember where we left Max?" _Of course I do! How could I forget?_

"Yes."

"Are we going there?"

I sure hoped not. Honestly, I wanted to find Max _before _we reached the 'place of separation.' If she was still there, that meant serious bad news for us. "Not if we can help it."

Nudge didn't like that. "But why? Maybe Max is hurt and needs help. Maybe we need to save her before we go save Angel." There was no way we could go save Angel without Max. Right now, our priority was to find her.

Worrying Nudge was not in my plan for the day, so I simply told her, "I don't think Max would have gotten hurt all by herself. She's not going to fly into a tree…"_ Or at least I hope she didn't…it's happened before… _"or crash-land. So if she's late because she's hurt, it probably means that someone, a person, hurt her. Which means that someone knows about her. We don't want that someone to know about us too. Which they would if we went to where Max went."

Nudge's jaw dropped. I wasn't sure whether it was from the amount that I had just spoken or from the news that I had just broke to her.

"And if Max is late because she's busy, then our going to her won't speed things up—she'll come when she's good and ready. So for right now, we do a general look-see. But we're not going all the way back." That kept Nudge silent for a while. Good. I had more important things to worry about. Like our next meal. Maybe I would get lucky and see a passing hamburger joint again. But I need to find something for Nudge to eat. I wonder if we can digest grass. Maybe she could graze, like a cow. It would save us some work. Oo I got a plan. I find a cow field, kill the cow, cook it, and Nudge can eat the grass. No money or any other factors involved! Too bad I don't know how to butcher a cow. Darn it. That's a serious gap in my already faulty education!

This whole time Nudge remained silent. It was strange…she was quiet for an extremely long time by her standards. Too long. I snuck a glance at her, and she was brushing back tears. _Oh crap. Tears. A girl's tears._ Not good.

_Tears!_ I was having a mini freak out_. No no no no no no no no no no! I can't handle this! What am I supposed to do? Do I try and comfort her? I think that would just freak her out…a comforting Fang. But then, she may get mad at me for not trying to comfort her. But what are my options? Ignore Nudge…or don't ignore Nudge. This has to be the worst situation I have EVER been in! I will kill Max when she gets back for making me go through this! Max would know what to do! Wait—what would Max do? Well, she would probably sit down and have a long talk with Nudge about what was wrong and how she could help. There is no way I could go through that with Nudge. I'm not a touchy-feely guy. Oh my gosh why must I experience these things?_

_Think Fang, think! What about all that TV you've watched! There must have been a mention of what to do if a girl was crying! Oh wait…she's stopping. Oh my gosh thank you! I don't have to deal with it! Yes! I knew ignoring her would be the right thing to chose! Max would be so proud of me for…ignoring…a crying…girl…crap. Max would kill me if she knew about this! I can hear her yelling now. "Fang! How could you? Nudge was crying, and you didn't do anything about it? What if it had been something serious? Where would you be now, huh mister?" And then she would hit me. Multiple times. So basically, either option was a death trap. Death by emotions or death by Max. I'm regretting not talking to Nudge. Maybe I can still bring it up! Save myself! But now I'm back to what the heck would I say?_

Suddenly, Nudge veered sharply downwards. Oh _gosh, she's running away because I didn't talk to her! Max is going to fry me alive! I should've talked to her! Why must I be so afraid of girls and their tears?_

"Fang!" she called up. "It's Tipisco, down below! I'm going there!" Tipisco? Tipisco! Where the documents said her parents lived! Now I would have to be the dream crusher. _Why is she choosing now to go? We have to find Max and save Angel! I thought that's what she wanted!_

"No way Nudge," I called back, feeling horrible for doing this to her. "Don't get sidetracked now. Stay with me."

"No!" Nudge screamed. _What has gotten into her? Was the chance of meeting her parents enough for her to forget about Max? _A little voice inside of me reminded me of how much I had been willing to give up when I was younger to find my parents. But now was still not the time!

"I have to go find my parents! If Max is gone, I'm going to need someone." _What did she think I was just going to abandon them?_ Then something dawned on me. The tears. She was crying because she thought she would lose the Flock because I would leave if Max was gone! How could she think that? She's as much of my family as Max is! I could never leave them!

"What? Nudge, you're crazy." _More like desperate. _"Come on, let's talk about it. Let's find a place, take a break." There, I finally agreed to talk about it. Too late though…

"No!" Nudge shrieked, tears falling down her face like Niagara Falls. "I'm going down—and you can't stop me!"

_What a mess I've gotten myself into!_

**A/N: Ok, I'm sure you're tired of hearing this, but I'm so sorry for the late update! I've had half of this typed up for a while, but I didn't get around to finishing it until today. I'm sorry! Even though I don't deserve them, could you still review? Please and thank you!**


	29. You'll Regret This

**Thanks to all my reviewers! Also, this chapter is dedicated to gracefuldarkangel and likeiwouldtellyou for their absolutely amazing reviews! :D Thank you!**

**gracefuldarkangel****: Awww Thank you so much! :D I've seen a lot of the other stories done in his POV, but very few are the first one…I'm glad you like it!**

**likeiwouldtellyou****: Ok, so I just want to thank you so very much for reviewing for every single chapter! That is freakin amazing! You deserve a cookie! *gives cookie* You are an inspiration to all my other reviewers! **** I honestly have no clue what to say, because quite frankly, it would take an extremely long paragraph to reply to all the reviews! So basically, THANK YOU FROM THE VERY BOTTOM OF MY HEART! YOU ARE AMAZING!**

**Thanks to my favoriters/subscribers: Dragonine, Phoenixian Kaiba, The Timeless Clock**

I soared down after her. _This is bad this is bad this is VERY bad… _

"Nudge! Don't do this!" I don't think she realized what a huge mistake she was making. What if her parents didn't measure up to her expectations? I knew from the looks that this was not a pleasant town to live in.

"Nudge! You will regret this!"

Abruptly, she pulled up. "How could I regret it? I'm going to meet my parents! Fang, I've been dreaming of this ever since we escaped the School!"

"Let's talk! Discuss this!" I was desperate to change her mind.

"No Fang! I'm not going to change my mind!" She cried as she began to descend.

I soared down after her. "Nudge, for the last time, give this up. This is a bad idea. A terrible idea."

In a reversal of roles, Nudge remained silent. Sighing, I understood that she was being her stubborn self again. I think she's been around Max for too long.

"Nudge, I can't let you do this. If you don't turn up this instant, I'm leaving." I knew this was an extremely low blow, but I was just trying to protect her! For every good thing me and Max had imagined about finding our parents, there was always a huge list of bad things that would happen. Giving up the flock, living with people we had never even seen before, endangering our newly found parents with constant attacks…and of course, the wing thing.

"I. Don't. Care!" She screamed. "I won't have anyone if Max never comes back!" Abruptly, I pulled up.

"What?" I faintly whispered. "Won't have anyone? What do you think I'm going to do, just leave you?" My voice steadily rising, it was quite loud (for me) by the end of my shocked statement.

Either she didn't hear me, or she chose not to. Whichever one, she continued downward. I had no choice but to follow her. I mean, come on! You didn't really think I would just leave her, did you? I was just saying that to scare her into turning around!

"Fang, talk all you want." _Wow…never heard that before…_ "I'm not leaving this place until I find my mom." *sigh* Well, you know the saying: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That's what I did.

This being said (or thought, in my case), it didn't mean I had to be happy about. In fact, I remained stone silent, hoping my disapproval would reach Nudge. If it did, it didn't change anything. She kept going. I was not pleased.

As we approached the trailer park, I had to get one last word in. "Nudge, for the last time, give this up. This is a bad idea. A terrible idea."

"No Fang. I have to see her," she whispered, trembling from nervousness. "The address is 4625 Chaparral Court."

I have to say, this place had some pretty strange street names…Roadrunner Lane? Seguro Street? Where the heck did they come up with these things?

Then, I saw it. The street that could very well change Nudge's future. Forever. _This is it…_

"Come on. I see Chaparral Court." We wound our way through the piles of junk that crowded the grass. Disappointment started creeping up on Nudge's face. She swallowed, holding back tears. Her eyes widened as she spotted the address, and we made our way over to the trailer.

Crouching behind a battered car, I knew I had to try to stop her one last time. "What if they moved? What if you misunderstood what you read and these people aren't related to you at all?" I had one more blow to deliver, and I was determined to say it as nice as I could. "Nudge, even if you weren't a test-tube baby—which you probably were—what if there was a reason they gave you up? They might not want you back." I felt horrible, but Nudge needed to think of everything…and evidently she had.

"Do you think I haven't thought of that?" Her voice shaking with anger, I have to admit I was a little stunned. I guess I had pushed her to the limit. "I know that! But I have to try. I mean, if there's the slightest chance—wouldn't you try?"

Would I try? There would be so many things I would miss…the Flock, the freedom that came with it…plus, honestly I was mad at her. My mom, I mean. Why would she give me up? Would I want to know? Would she want me back? And if she did, why had she parted from me in the first place?

I could honestly answer, "I don't know." There were too many pros and cons…

"That's because you don't need anything or anybody," she shot at me. _Ouch, Nudge._ "But I'm not like that. I need people."

I was shocked into silence. Didn't need anybody? I would be nothing if it wasn't for Max constantly talking to me when we were stuck in the School. Of course I need people, just in a different way. Nudge is a talker, I'm a listener. I would have gone insane from my own thoughts if I hadn't had Max to converse with…

As we were spying on the house, the door opened. I tensed, waiting for a madman to come outside with a gun hollering at us to get off his property. Then, a thought struck me. _What if this whole thing is a trap? Could the whitecoats have possibly planted that address, fully knowing that Nudge would want to investigate?_ I had a bad feeling about this place…

I relieved to see a woman emerge from the house holding, not a gun, but a coke. She didn't exactly seem like the motherly type…she was lounging in a lawn chair, her hair up in curlers, smoking a cigarette. Definitely not what Nudge was imagining.

"Coke. It's not just for breakfast anymore." My attempt at a joke did nothing. Nudge elbowed me and continued to peer through the bushes, studying the figure before us. I could see an internal battle taking place inside Nudge…to approach her, or not to. I figured we had gone too far to back out now, but it was entirely up to Nudge as to what our next move was. When my legs started to fall asleep, I was convinced we had sat here long enough. Just as I was about to tell Nudge to hurry up and make up her mind, I heard a voice behind me that could only belong to one thing: an Eraser.

"Looking for something, freaks? Guess you found it."

I knew it…we had walked right into a trap.

**A/N: So, there's really nothing to say except to apologize for taking over a freakin month to update! I just haven't been in a writing mood lately…with all my school work, I spend any free time sleeping hahaha! However, I really hope I'll have the next chapter up soon! Please review!**


	30. Home With the Hawks

**Thanks to my readers and reviewers!**

**Bubblegirl11****: I'm sorry for the sporadic updates! I'm trying to get them up, but I'm so overloaded with work…high school sucks hahaha!**

**Thanks to my subscribers/favoriters: nancydrewgirl (btw, I LOVE ND too!)**

I spun around as Nudge sprung up. We were surrounded by three male models who began the terrible transformation into the dogs that I wished I would never see again after our escape from the School. Well, guess I wished on the wrong star because that wish definitely did NOT come true. Shame. I would have enjoyed an Eraser-free life.

"Ari," I growled. Whoa. Growled? Now I'm sounding like an Eraser…

Nudge glanced at Ari, hearing the accusation in my voice. Then, it struck her. "Ari! You were just a little kid!" I could hear the remorse in her voice. Wonder what he would be like if he hadn't been experimented on.

He seemed pleased enough with his new look though. "And now I'm a great big grown-up Eraser. And you're a little brown piglet. Yum!" Whoa. He wants to eat Nudge? Last time I checked, the Erasers did NOT eat bird kids! They just attacked us! Was this a new "feature" the scientists had added?

"What did they do to you? I'm sorry, Ari." Even in the face of death, Nudge felt sorry for Ari. I guess I could see where she was coming from, him not having any say in the matter, but still! He was talking of eating her! And she still felt sorry for him? Sometimes I really didn't understand her.

Ari frowned, and for a moment I was wondering if he was actually taking Nudge's statement to heart. Of course I was wrong. He probably doesn't even have a heart. The scientists would've considered feelings an "unnecessary distraction." He probably ran on solar energy or electricity or something like that. "Save your pity for yourself. I'm exactly who I want to be." _Psh_ yeah right. Like the scientists actually asked Ari what he wanted to be before they experimented on him. 'Hey kid! You want to be an extremely scary Eraser that hunts down your childhood playmates?' 'Oh yeah! That's exactly what I want to be when I grow up!' Yep. Sure that's how it went. You know, instead of the more believable situation where the whitecoats forcefully drugged and altered him.

Then, he surprised us. "And I've got some news for you. Your hideout in the mountains is nothing but ashes. Your pals keep having unfortunate accidents. You two are the last ones alive—and now we've got you."

Last ones alive? What? No. Not possible. I would've known if Max had died…right? There would've been a huge void in my heart. Max was alive, I was sure of it. Besides, how could we trust them? We couldn't. The only way I would believe them was if they had the *gulp* bodies. And even then I probably wouldn't. I'd have to see their deaths with my own eyes. But how was I so STUPID as to let Max go off on her own? Yeah she can fight, but there's a limit that all of us have. And with a surprise attack it's always easier to overpower a person.

But this wasn't helping us. I had to get us out of this…what to use? We had learned a lot of maneuvers, but I didn't know how many of them Nudge could do. Me and Max were the ones that really worked on them.

The pinwheel! That one would work! Or at least buy us a few seconds. I glanced at Nudge. _Great…more tears. Does life just hate me? _

I wasn't sure how much her performance would be affected by the water leaking from her eyes, but I decided to give it a go anyways.

"Pinwheel," I muttered.

"Cholla first," she replied. Good! She could do it!

"Count of three." Of course she knew that it actually meant one.

Ari was fed up with our code talk. "Cut it out!" He hit me on the shoulder, but it just upset my balance a little.

"One." _Please let this work! _I prayed, not knowing if anyone was listening.

Nudge instantly shoved the second Eraser into, what do you know, a big fat prickly cactus! His screams were music to my ears, as sick as that sounds. Then, she launched herself into the air, and it was up to me to make this thing work. I caught her arms and used her momentum to smash Ari in the neck. _Ouch, that's gotta hurt! _I swung her upwards and let go, hoping she would spread her wings.

Sure enough, she whipped her wings out and frantically beat them to stay airborne. Then, it was just me and Ari.

"You're gonna die mutant," he snarled as he launched himself at me. I leapt into the air and opened my wings, but I was too heavy to go anywhere quick. He grabbed my leg and pulled me down. The next thing I knew, I was getting beaten in the chest by his fists. It felt like a train was repeatedly running into me. I could feel the blood in my lungs, and before I could think properly, I spit the blood into Ari's face. Big mistake. Enraged, he brought both his hands up and pummeled my chest with them. Ok, did I say it hurt before? Because that was nothing compared to the pain I experienced after that hit. It was like a train going a million mph running into me. Definitely. Not. Fun.

Just when I thought I was going pass out from the blood loss and pain, an angel swooped down and sprayed Ari with spray paint. _Wait a minute. Spray paint? An angel? Oh…that was Nudge! _I guess all that blood loss was making my vision a little foggy.

I coughed as the weight of Ari suddenly left me. Oh how nice it was to get fresh air! I jumped into the air, while desperately looking around to inform myself of what the heck had just happened. As far as I could figure, Nudge had grabbed the spray paint and sprayed the Erasers in the eyes then thrown the can at Ari. Now they were green! Green Erasers! Well, Ari was red too, from all the blood. They were decked out for the holidays! Red and green! It was a pretty hilarious sight.

"You're dead, freaks," Ari said. _Really? Because we're still flying? You would've thought we would be on the ground if we were dead. _Nudge took care of the insult for me though.

"Oh, like you're not a freak yourself! Try looking in a mirror, dog boy!" _Brilliant!_ That was a Max-worthy insult right there! Max would've been so proud if she had been here! Of course, we probably wouldn't have ended up here if she had still been with us.

Air reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun. As I had no reason to test his aim, we shot out of there. Bullets were rocketing around us, but as far as I could tell neither of us had been hit.

We reached a safe distance when Nudge started apologizing. "I'm sorry, Fang. It was my fault you got hurt."

I spit some blood out and watched it fall to gain some time. "It wasn't your fault. You're just a kid." I felt bad about calling her a kid, especially after she just saved my life, but it was true. She was still a kid.

"Let's go home." Home? Home was out of the question. They knew where the house was.

"They said it burned down," I answered, getting rid of some annoying blood blossoming on my lip.

"No, I mean the home with the hawks."

Home with the hawks. I could live with that.

**A/N: Yay! I updated! And it was a pretty long chapter too! **** So I hope you liked it, and please tell me in a REVIEW! You know you want to REVIEW! Oh, and I read Angel. I thought it was better than Fang, but still not as good as the earlier books…so what did everyone else think? Yay or nay to Angel? Why not tell me in a REVIEW! Thanks for reading!**


	31. Raw Desert Rat

**Thanks to all my amazing readers and reviewing! You guys are the reason I keep writing this story! **

**Bubblegirl11****: Well actually I've already had my spring break. And thank you soo much! I love love LOVE your review! And no we still have 2 more chapters until Max comes back…maybe more if I add some of my own stuff in there. Sorry! I want her back too! I can't wait to write the reunion scene! Also, could you log in to review? I'd love to be able to write a response to your review and you get it before I update the next chapter!**

**Thanks to my subscribers/favoriters: MikaUahiha666 (thank you so much!), MyUniversalWorld (thank you so much too!)**

**(I've been forgetting to do this) Disclaimer: *Gasp* Did you know that I'm a multimillionaire who just bought the rights to Maximum Ride? haha yeah right…if I had that much money, I would be living in California or Hawaii…or Ireland! I've always wanted to go to Ireland! Any Irish people out there reading this? 'Cuz that would be so freakin amazing!**

Flying to the cave—home—took forever. I wanted to make sure Ari wasn't following us, although if that guy/thing/monster had ANY brains left he would know that to do that would be suicidal. Because if he ever showed his face again, I would beat the living daylights out of it. No one hurt my family without paying for it.

Anyways, we were flying home in an extremely circular route. I think I made us double back 5 or 6 times. After I was positive that it was only us and the hawks, I consented to Nudge's demands to return home. Don't tell anyone, but the adrenaline of the fight with Ari was finally wearing off. I was beat, and I know that Nudge would not be able to catch me if I fell from the sky. Plus, that would freak her, which was not my goal. So, after touching down in our cave, I basically fell over. Not very pretty. Luckily, Nudge was wrapped up in her thoughts. _Oh dear God, please no more tears!_ I thought as her face scrunched up. _I can't handle that right now! We're in a cave with no food and a freakin Eraser on our trail that just told us we were the only Flock members alive. I CAN'T HANDLE THE TEARS!_

Darkness enveloped me as my eyelids shut of their own accord. I _like the dark…it's easier to sort things out. Ok, what do we have: no food. Food's easy to find. We have a cool place to stay. We have…clothes. Safety. Each other. _Opening my eyes, I saw Nudge stretched out against the wall, discolored legs in front of her_. After all we've suffered, why can't they leave us alone! We shouldn't have to do fight for our lives every day! Nudge is only 11 and she's been through more than an adult. Even Angel, 6-year-old Angel, had been experimented on until she was begging for death. Why did we end up like this? What on earth possessed my mom to give her son over to demonic scientists? Why? WHY? _The never ending question…why we ended up where we did. It haunted my life, crept into my dreams. For some reason, it never bothered the others as much as it did me. I guess the kids were too young to think of it, and Max had her hands full with taking care of everyone.

*Chop chop chop* _What on earth?_ I glanced at Nudge and she turned her confused eyes towards me. It was coming from outside…helicopter! They were looking for us!

"Nudge! Get over here!" I pulled her back into the depths of the cave, all the while waiting for something to drop from the sky and shoot us dead. My only comfort was that unless they were really looking for this cave, it couldn't be seen from above. However, if they were who we thought they were, they would be looking. And a secret cave was exactly what they would think was an ideal hiding place for us. _We're screwed. _The sound of the blades moved closer, and with them images of me getting injected with unknown liquids popped up. I shuddered. Nudge was pale, shaking against the wall. Her huge eyes were glued to the cave entrance. Closer, closer the sound came. Adrenaline filled me, and I was ready for a fight. There was no way we would go without a fight. I was not being dragged back to that place. Ever. Again.

Suddenly, the intensity of the chopper's blades changed. It was moving away. _Finally! _Nudge's breath left her in a whoosh of air. The relief etched on her face was mirrored on mine. She made to get up, but I hastily pulled her back down.

"They may be luring us into a false sense of security. Stay here for 20 more minutes. Then we'll get up." So there we were, huddled in the stomach of the cave, for 20 minutes. The sound of the chopper slowly diminished, until not a sound but the hawks and our breathing remained.

"Ok, I think we're good." I smiled at her. "I can't believe you didn't say a word that entire time."

"Oh my gosh Fang I was so scared! I can't believe it! I thought for sure that they would find us! When you pulled me into the back of the cave, I thought it was just a precaution, but then the chopper got closer! I kept imagining what they were going to do to me when they took me back to the School and I can't believe that they didn't find us! This is an awesome place to stay! Oh my gosh! I was so scared Fang! Were you scared? You didn't look like it but I couldn't tell because you really don't look like anything usually except maybe happy sometimes…although you did look relieved when they turned away so I guess you were a little scared…were you? It would make me feel better if you were cuz then I wouldn't feel like such a scaredy cat although I really don't think that anyone can call someone who is afraid of the whitecoats a scaredy cat cuz they can really hurt you! Don't you think Fang? Oh Fang! What are we gonna do about Max and Angel and Iggy and Gazzy! Ari said they were dead, but I don't know if I want to trust Ari! What do you think?" She finally paused.

"I don't know Nudge…I'm gonna have to think about it. But yeah, I was a little scared. Just don't tell _anyone_."

"Ok Fang! I won't tell! My lips are sealed!" She exclaimed as she "locked" her lips and threw away the key.

"Fang. I'm hungry." Her locked mouth didn't stay locked for long.

"I'll go find something."

"Ok…I'll be…here…"

I took off after scanning the area for unwanted Erasers. After seeing none, I concluded that they really were gone. _Good._

Flying through the warm desert air, I kept my look out for Erasers. Still nothing.

On the horizon, a large dot appeared. At first, it looked like a truck, but as I got closer I realized it was a camper. And guess what? These campers, never suspecting a random bird kid to fly by, had left their dinner cooking on a campfire and retreated inside their camper to escape the heat. Can't say I blame them…it was pretty hot. Anyways, it was free dinner for me! Awesome! Now I didn't even have to kill any desert rats…hmmm…kill desert rats…

—10 minutes later—

"Can I interest you in a bit of raw desert rat?" I inquired, waiting for Nudge's answer. I figured it was about time someone pulled a joke on someone else. We needed a laugh.

Just as I predicted, her reaction was complete and utter horror. "Oh, no!"

Pulling off my windbreaker, I dusted myself off. It's pretty sandy out there in the desert. Continuing with the act, I popped some meat into my mouth and savored the delicious taste. "Can't get fresher."

"Ugh!" Nudge turned away, a look of disgust upon her face.

"Okay, then. How about some kabobs? You get the vegetables." I figured she was starving, and to put her through any more would be torture.

She whirled around to reveal me opening a tightly wrapped foil package, smoky beef and vegetable filling the air.

"Kabobs!" Nudge screamed. "Where did you get them? You didn't have time to go all the way to town. Oh, my gosh, they're still hot!"

"Let's just say some campers are going to be a little surprise," I said. Surprised is probably an understatement.

I separated the meat from the veggies. Yep, I'm one of the lucky ones whose mom never told me to eat the vegetables before the meat. Guess that's one good thing about not having a mom…

"Now this is food!" Nudge exclaimed as she savored the warm grilled pepper.

Then I just had to go and ruin the moment. "So I guess we have to decide whether to keep looking for Max or go try to save Angel."

"But the Erasers said everyone else was dead. Doesn't that mean Angle and Max too?" _Maybe…maybe not._

"No way to tell. The thing is, if Max isn't here, is it because she's dead? How would they have found her? Angel…well we knew they had Angel. That's probably all over by now." Saying the words was even worse than thinking them. How on earth did I just say that? Just because the whitecoats have her doesn't mean she's dead…gotta have a little hope.

Nudge buried her head in her hands. "I can't think about it!"

"I know. But what are your—" I broke off as I spotted something in the sky. It was two dark splotches against the light sky.

Nudge looked up as I cut off, but soon went back to eating. Evidently she didn't think it was anything big. But I wasn't going to be fooled so easily. What if they were flying Erasers? Or some other evil project the scientists had come up with? I really didn't want to stay to find out. Just as I was about to suggest to Nudge that we get the heck out of there, they started forming familiar shapes…Gazzy! Iggy! They made it! I was never so relieved to see familiar…shapes. I couldn't actually see their faces yet.

I quickly stood and searched my pocket for my mirror. And no people, I don't use it to gaze at myself all day. It's strictly for survival purposes…you know, fire, signals, that kind of thing.

After finding it, I flashed it towards Gazzy, hoping he would see it. They turned this way after a few times and spiraled down in our direction. They were approaching fast, and I could see the grin on Gazzy's face as he headed in for a landing.

He and Iggy landed on the ledge, spraying me and Nudge with rocks and dust. While spitting out a mouthful of dirt, I heard Nudge scream, "You're not dead!"

Iggy was a little miffed by this greeting. "No. You're not dead either. How about just 'hello'?" Good ole Iggy.

"Hi guys!" Gazzy said happily. "We couldn't stay home—there's Erasers all over the mountain. So we decided to come here. Anybody have a problem with that?" Well I guess Ari wasn't lying about one thing—they found our house. Lucky for us, we had found a new home…with the hawks. And our family was finally coming back together. Things felt right. Better than they had in a long time. Now the only issue was which to choose: Max or Angel?

**A/N: Oooo which will he choose? Ahaha too bad you all know what will happen next… And sorry about the late update. I'm trying people! I really am! But thanks to all my awesome reviewers! So on that note, PLEASE REVIEW! You'll get a cookie! **


	32. Let Angels Fly Free

**So I'm almost to 200 reviews! That's amazing people! I can't thank you enough! THANK YOU! You guys are amazing!**

**Bublegirl11****: Thanks for reviewing! And yeah I did some research on the mirror thing…cuz how weird is it for a guy to just randomly have a mirror in his pocket? I mean, that's not exactly normal…hahaha. And thanks! **

**Bunches of thanks to my subscribers/favoriters: smileyronni, Unknown Writer O.o, GallagherGirl4eva, Duckiee95**

**Disclaimer: I don't even own a car…yet you really think I own MR? Really people? **

"Erasers? So Ari wasn't lying! Oh my gosh, you two could've been killed! What happened?" Nudge frantically cried.

"Well we basically set a trap and blew those suckers sky high! It was awesome!" Iggy excitedly replied. "But where's Max?"

"Gone." I said.

"What? What happened? She's not…dead is she?" Gazzy practically screamed.

Oops. Guess I should've explained more. Nudge gave me a reproachful glare and decided to fill in the gaps I had created. "As far as we know, she's not dead. But we haven't seen her since she went to go rescue this rabbit, at least I think it was a rabbit, but maybe that's just a figure of speech. Anyways, she said she would meet back up with us like an hour or so later and we haven't heard or seen anything from her since. We've searched this entire area…we don't know what happened…" Nudge trailed off.

"So, now what? Wait here or go on to Angel?" Iggy asked me.

I avoided his question. "Let's go fly. The hawks are awesome." I ran to the opening and jumped off, not waiting for an answer.

Nudge rambled excitedly, glad for someone who would actually talk back to her. "Gazzy, you've got to see this! The hawks, they like use the tips of their wings to control direction! It's so cool! It makes you fly so much smoother! You've got to try it!" And she launched herself off, with Gazzy following suit.

Iggy soared over to me. "Ok, what's up. I know it's going to be hard to choose, but we can't save both unless Max decides to show up right now."

There was a long silence, filled with the joyful yells of Nudge and Gazzy. "Honestly Ig, I don't know. We don't even know if either of them is alive…Max could've been found, shot, taken to the School…I just don't know. I was so stupid to let her go!"

"Dude, don't blame yourself. Max does what she does. There was no way you could've stopped her. And she knows the risks of going off by herself. It was her fault. Now, what we need to decide is whether to stay here for a few more days then go to the School if Max doesn't show up, or go now and save Angel. It's your decision. But, quite honestly, you've given Max a few days…we could always leave a note for her and come back here after getting Angel. I don't know how much longer Angel will be able to last, Fang. We've got to get her soon."

Iggy had a point, and I knew it. I had been telling myself the same thing for days, but I couldn't leave Max. Leaving this cave without Max would be like admitting she wasn't coming back, and that was something I wasn't willing to do. I had to decide.

"Flock meeting. In the cave." I yelled to Gazzy and Nudge. _Might as well get their views on the situation._

We flew back into the cave, Gazzy trying out the new techniques.

I stood in front of the three of them, took a deep breath, and let it out. "Ok guys. I want to hear what you've got to say about this. Angel is at the School, and we've got to rescue her soon. But Max has not made it here yet. So here's the thing: wait a few days for Max then rescue Angel, or rescue Angel now."

I looked at them expectantly. Indecisiveness crossed their faces.

"Well…" Nudge started hesitantly. "We've looked everywhere for Max…and if she's not back by now…well…I don't know. I guess I don't what to wait here forever, expecting someone who might…not…come…back." Tears started falling. "I say get Angel, then we can come back. Maybe she'll be here…and if not…we can figure out something else."

I nodded and looked at Iggy.

"I've already told you my views. Let's go get Angel, leave a note for Max, then come back."

Gazzy was next. An inner battle was raging inside him: his sister or his mom?

"I agree with Nudge…let's get Angel and come back. Then hopefully Max will be here." He looked down dejectedly.

"Ok then. I guess it's decided. We leave in five minutes." The kids ran to the mouth of the cave and flew out, desperately searching the skies for any sign of Max.

Iggy came over and put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry man. But we've got to face the facts."

"I know."

"I'll be outside. You going to write the note?"

"Yeah." I knew exactly what to say. It had to be something that would identify us, but not so much as to let Erasers know we had been here if they ever happen upon this place. I decided to scratch the note by the crevice I had hid the piece of my shirt earlier when we went to look for Max. It read:

"Let angels fly free.

-F."

She would understand that we were here and were going to set "the angel" free. I looked back at the message, surrendering myself to the fact that she may never see it.

Then, in haste, I jumped out of the cave and soared over to Iggy. "Ok, let's go."

I turned to fly towards the School when a small, bird-kid shaped speck caught my eye. I whipped my head around, not daring to believe my eyes.

"Iggy…do you see that?"

"Yep. Of course I do. Why would I not be able to see it? I mean, I'm not BLIND or anything like that!" Oops.

"Sorry…but I could swear Max is flying straight for us right now."

"Fang, I understand you miss her, but this is going a little far…imagining up a Max? That's a big no-no."

Then the kids caught sight of my "hallucination." Huge smiles lit up their faces, shining like beacons on a stormy winter sea. "Nope. The kids see her too."

When I could clearly see the outline of her face, I couldn't believe it. _Max. My Max. She's back! We won't have to leave her!_ I had never felt such a relief before.

I motioned my head over to our cave. As she got closer, the kids squealed with delight. I allowed myself a smile. _Max is back._

**A/N: So people…I know I don't deserve any review you decide to give. It's been, what, 2 months? Geez...That's a long time. I apologize profusely, and can give no other explanation besides school. But hey, my last day is tomorrow, so maybe you'll get a few updates soon! Just a heads up though, I was accepted into Governor's School, which I'm uber excited about, so you may not get as many updates in June, since I'll be gone. But I'll try and give you at least one! Please review!**


	33. Jellyfish Hugs

**Well you guys…my absence is inexcusable. The only excuse I have is I was at Governor's School (GO GSET!) for all of June…other than that, I got nothin. So I'm terribly sorry…**

**Bublegirl11****- Thank you! And yep, Max is always at the exact right moment! And wow, no wi-fi? I think I would've died…well I guess I could just read my books for that time but still…wow…**

**Thanks to my favoriters/subscripters: (btw, I'm extremely sorry for the no updates in like half a year…I'm not usually THIS bad…) musicjunkies.87, Lozzy98, Milymet P. Runsage**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter 7. Oops…wrong story…I don't own Maximum Ride. BUT I do own my Harry Potter midnight showing ticket! **

_She's back. Here. With us. We don't have to leave her. _

A huge weight lifted from my chest. _We wouldn't have to leave My Max…_

As she flew closer, I dipped my head towards our cliff so we could talk, but Nudge couldn't wait. "Max! Max! I can't believe it! Can I believe it?"

As we touched down inside our cave, Nudge leapt towards Max, determined to be the first to hug her. Well, I certainly wasn't complaining. As long as Nudge took care of the hugs, I wouldn't have to.

"Max! We were so worried—I didn't know what had happened to you, and we didn't know what to do, and Fang said we were going to eat rats, and—"

_Crap. Why on earth would she tell Max that? Out of all the things that had happened, the one thing that stuck in her mind was my joke about eating rats. Then of course she has to tell Max, the one person who will kick my butt if she suspects I have been neglectful. _

"Okay, okay. Everything's okay." Max reassured her, and then glanced at me. _I'm done for. She's going to kill me. Or at the very least take away my Manhood. _

'Rats?' She mouthed. I smiled, relieved that I got to keep…well, you get the concept. I was alive and intact.

Max continued. "I'm just so glad to see you safe." A smile lit up her face as she peered down at Nudge.

Then she turned to Iggy, and that smile vanished from her face faster than an Eraser chasing a birdkid. "What are you two doing here? Why didn't you stay home?"

Gazzy answered first. "We couldn't! There were Erasers all over the mountain. They were hunting for us. We'd be dog meat by now."

_Hmmm. Wonder why. It couldn't have anything with the BOMBS they probably set up. Nope. Of course not. _

"When did they start hunting for you?" Max inquired, astonished. "Right after we left?"

"Nooooo…" _And the truth comes out. _Gazzy glanced at Iggy, hoping that he could come up with an idea quick.

Of course, neither boy was fast enough. Max's suspicion meter went up a notch. "What? When did they start coming after you?"

"Was it—was it after the oil-slick Hummer crash?" Gazzy asked slowly. Max's eyebrows disappeared into her hair.

Iggy anxiously rubbed his face, warning Gazzy not to continue.

Naturally, he didn't get the message. "Or maybe it was more—after the bomb." Max's eyes were the size of dinner plates. _They're dead._

Iggy nodded thoughtfully. "I think it was the bomb. That definitely seemed to tick them off." _What did I tell you? These guys and their bombs…_

"Bomb? Bomb?" _They're definitely dead._ "You guys set off a bomb? Didn't that tell the Erasers exactly where you were? You should have stayed hidden!"

"They already knew where we were. They'd seen all of us—they knew we were in the area." _Yeah, great plan Max. Leave the guys at home to stay safe, right in the clutches of the Erasers. _

"It was just a matter of time." Iggy finished.

Max's jaw dropped. And stayed there. For 5 minutes. I thought of making a remark about her becoming a fly catcher, something involving genetically mutated frogs, but thought better of it. It was too much to be near death twice in one evening and survive.

"Well…I'm glad you're safe." _That's what she came up with? _I could barely contain my laughter._ Glad that you're safe…hahaha…wow…_

"You were right to come here. Smart thinking. Excellent." _Great. I give Gazzy the idea to come, and do I get any thanks? Nope. Iggy takes all the glory. _

Max started making her rounds, hugging each Flock member. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Don't you want to hug Max? And the answer is no. I don't want to hug anyone. It's not the person, it's the hug. Who came up with that? I mean, really people? You wrap your arms around someone like a freakin jelly fish reeling in its prey. How is that romantic? It's like she's a jelly fish, and she's trying to EAT ME! So no, I don't do hugs.

It was too much to hope for that she would skip me, but I made it clear that I did not enjoy the hug. Mountain stiff, I stood. Yep…I showed her…

Then it was onto something much more comfortable: our fist stack. With almost everyone here, it almost felt like old times. There was still someone missing though.

"To Angel!" Max yelled as she leapt off the cliff.

Our dedicated replies echoed throughout to valley, and whispered through the trees…

"To Angel!"

**A/N: So like I said above, I am SO SORRY READERS! You have no clue how ashamed I am at my lack of updating…I really am horrible. But I do hope you liked this chapter! Please review! And tell me how many of you are seeing HARRY POTTER 7 PART 2! I AM SO EXCITED! It comes out Friday here in the US, and I have my ticket 12:01 is when the theater I got into starts the movie! SO EXCITED! So I hope everyone has had a great summer so far, happy (late) 4****th**** of July to my fellow Americans, and please tell me all about your summer dreams, wishes, and adventures in a very nice review! Bonsoir!**


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